


Sweet Like Honey

by ashethehedgehog



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Detectives, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Investigations, M/M, Murder, Shameless Smut, all disguised as dates honestly, but lowkey nothing heartbreaking, smut scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-03-08 22:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18904027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashethehedgehog/pseuds/ashethehedgehog
Summary: A string of murders over the city is a never ending stream of cold cases, leads few and far between. Atem, lead detective, can hardly piece together anything to make progress.One day at a coffee shop, he meets a stranger who helps him connect dots together, and Atem finds himself spending more and more time with them to help solve the case, desperate for it to end.Definitely not because of the growing feelings he has for him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elysiaree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysiaree/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //FURIOUS SWEATING Uh hi all. I'm back :'''>  
> So I've been debating posting this for, gosh, must be six months now? It was written for the wonderful Ree for her birthday last year. She gave me the basic outline and ideas she wanted and I slapped them all together into a fic~  
> Ended up being a bit of a mess, more than I expected ahaha, but I wasn't sure if I was okay with sharing it.  
> In the end, today I've decided to open up and start posting it. Let me know how it goes, yeah? I'd appreciate it. Helps me know if I should continue or not with future ideas ahaha.
> 
> Thank you to the wonderful [mouthfulofbees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/pseuds/mouthfulofbees) who looked this fic over for me <3

The air was dry and crisp, a thin layer of chill attaching itself to everything it could touch.

He brushed gloved hands over his hair, fingers looping downward and threading the bangs out of his face. He couldn’t feel anything through the thick layer of fleece coating his palms, but he knew the temperature was frigid enough to catch a chill on the strands.

He stuffed his bulky hands into his coat pockets, shrugging forward. He stopped by the entry way to an apartment complex, glancing upwards.

The building was perfectly symmetrical, although some bricks were chipped and covered in wear from the elements.

The hit was on the seventh storey, in a room at the end of the corridor. He took the elevator upwards, approaching the last door. Nodding to the officer standing outside on guard duty, he then knocked once before opening the door, stepping into the crime scene.

It was a modest apartment, the first room a living area with a doorway leading to what looked to be the kitchen, and another opened door he assumed to be the bedroom. He didn’t have to go looking for the body; it was right in front of him, sprawled out over the floor rug.

The body looked like it had been tossed across the room. Arms were crossed up near the head, and their legs were spread wide. A single bullet hole marred its forehead, a thin trickle of blood dried over the face.

“A clean shot,” he hummed, stepping closer.

“Yo, Atem!” He glanced up at his name, seeing his co-worker walking towards him from the bedroom. “You’re a little late buddy. What kept ya?”

“The cold never makes travel easy, Jou,” Atem pointed out, taking his hands out of his pockets. He tugged the gloves off, sighing at the loss of heat as the cold room began to seep into his exposed fingers immediately.

He moved over to a nearby toolbox, swiping a pair of rubber gloves and slipping them on quickly. They weren’t designed to keep the heat in, but he would need them to conduct his work.

“They’re going to take the body for autopsy soon, but it’s pretty obvious the cause of death was the bullet in the skull,” Jou explained.

Atem nodded in response. “What has forensics brought back so far?”

“Not much, most of their samples have gone back to the lab to get tested, so we don’t have results.”

“I see.” Atem walked around the body slowly, eyes trailing over the form, before coming to a stop beside the window. He glanced out of it, and Jou gave a hum.

“It was probably the rooftop,” Jou said, tilting his head. Atem followed his gaze to the opposite street. Through the foggy window he could see the top of a building beside a larger one, a storey below the level they were on.

He glanced around, but there was nothing on the roof besides a few boxes near the stair entrance. “What makes you think so?” Atem asked.

“It’s got the best vantage point,” Jou explained with a nod. “Would be an easy hit and get away.”

“Has anyone ran a check over there yet?”

“I sent a team over, but I doubt we’ll find anything. Unless the murderer screwed up, but if it’s anything like the last few times, we’ll have zero leads.”

“As usual,” Atem exhaled softly, his breath misting in the chilly air. His eyes lowered from the rooftop down to the street below. Bright neon caught his attention, hanging above the entryway to the building beside the short one, leaking into the gloomy atmosphere. His eyes traced the glowing words, a hum escaping his lips.

“That place is a motel,” he murmured.

“Really?” Jou shuffled closer to the window, peering down. “Shit you’re right. I bet they have records on everyone who stayed.”

“I’ll go,” Atem moved to step away, but Jou’s arm caught his, stopping him.

“Nah man, I’ll take care of this one,” Jou stepped past him with a grin. “You finish up here and then go home, all right?”

“Back to the office more like,” Atem smiled. “But all right, I’ll catch you back at HQ then?”

“Sure thing, buddy!” Jou waved goodbye, taking his leave.

It left Atem alone in the room with the body, everyone else’s work already leading them back to the labs. He turned back around to glance down at the sprawled form, a hand to his chin. He walked to the window, peering at the other building’s rooftop.

“It seems too easy,” Atem muttered. He traced the line of sight through his head multiple times. The victim _could_ have been shot from the roof, but the detective in Atem told him it wasn’t so simple.

 _And besides, the bullet would have gone through the top of the head most likely from a downward angle,_ Atem reasoned. He glanced out the window again, eyes narrowing. _No, it came from a higher point… maybe even level… but where?_

His eyes flickered over the whole building, and beyond, to anything he could make out through the fog. He saw a few of the motel room lights fade off, and someone in a level below opened their window to lean out of, a cigarette in their hand.

 _A window,_ he realised, letting out a puff of frozen air. _Of course. Someone who stayed in that motel took the shot from a sill. The aim would have been perfect the moment the victim stepped in range of the window space._

_I hope Jou gets those records soon. We’ll need to background search every single one, but some form of a lead is better than none._

Two years they had been chasing a seemingly invisible murderer, and each new case gave them nothing but another file for their ever growing pile. One bullet; it was always a perfect hit. So much so they had taken to calling their elusive murderer the one-hit man. It was a terrible name, Jou’s suggestion, but they had nothing else to go by, and the horrible name helped keep the edge off their constant failures.

 _Just like this one,_ Atem sighed, glancing around. Several people had returned and were loading the body into a bag to be taken off for an autopsy, and forensics had finished up for the night. He had nothing until Jou found those records, but at least he could get ahead on the paperwork back at base.

He pulled out his phone and threw Jou a quick message about his return to the office, then tucked it back away and leaving the scene. He would have another sleepless night ahead of him, with coffee his only companion.

 _Just like always, alone with a mountain of unanswered questions,_ he mourned, hands sliding into his pockets. He could already tell it would be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to have these chapter updates further apart, but then Yugi wasn't in the first chapter, and we can't have that now can we? ;)  
> So surprise chapter update! Enjoy!~

Nights were always long for Atem in the office. It was a time where he became acutely aware of everything happening around him on a micro level. He was acutely aware of a paper that would rustle from dipped corners in a pile, or the way the whole stack would slap softly when he added yet more to it.

His watch chimed at every hour, but he had lost count of the beeps.

The case was as cold as ever, and he felt like he was going nowhere. He stared at his laptop screen, where a window was open detailing Jou’s results from the motel.

They had gained access to the list of people who had passed through in the days before and after the murder. Atem had combed through it already, but there was nothing that stood out. He filed it away for later use, in the hopes that the autopsy, or something else would come up and give him more to work with.

When people began to trickle into the building, Atem risked a look at his watch. He groaned at the numbers flashing back at him. Was it really nine o’clock already? He was surprised he could still function decently, then.

At least he knew the coffee shops dotted around the district would be open now. He pushed out of his chair, grabbing his pile of paperwork and phone before trotting out the office door. There were a few nods of greeting he exchanged upon passing his fellow workers.

Outside it was chilly, but the sun tried to shine through regardless. Clouds fogged up over it, leaving a bleak atmosphere for Atem to walk through. He casually flicked through his messages as he walked, checking for anything new from the department. Jou had sent a message ahead of time about being out for the morning, leaving Atem with no one to speak to about the case, lending to the pile of paperwork being his only companion all night.

His feet lead him to a café down the street, and he was grateful for the warmth that pooled around him as he stepped inside. There was no waiting line, letting him walk up to the counter to order. The waiter flashed him a friendly smile, clearly recognising him from his frequent visits. He nodded back, paid, and then headed to a booth overlooking the street outside.

His paperwork was neatly corralled into a single folder, but jumped at the chance to escape when he upended it. Sheets swallowed up the space on the table, leaving him staring down at a sea of black ink.

Hunched over, he began sorting out the pages into related piles, picking some up to examine more closely as he went. The waiter came by and placed his coffee on the table, quietly walking away. He continued poring over the documents, hardly noticing the steaming cup at his side.

Nothing was making sense. What he had to work with was small, barely anything. There were no connections; everything a flat plane of never-ending questions, questions he had been asking for _years_ now. How would this case be any different to the previous one-hit man ones?

“This will never work out,” Atem muttered, finally taking a sip of the coffee.

A shadow fell over the pages in front of him, and Atem tilted his head upwards, almost coming nose to nose with a man.

The first thing he saw was shining gemstone eyes, which complimented the raging purple hair sprawled out behind them. Blonde bangs curled back behind ears studded with so many coloured gems and silver Atem unconsciously touched one of his own ears, wondering how much they would have hurt. The man was smiling widely, his eyes friendly. Atem had the offhanded thought that his purple eyes would stand out much more if lined with thick black eyeliner, but he wasn’t about to suggest such to a stranger. And besides, his makeup advice was usually never taken well by men.

“Hello there,” the man spoke, a soft and light tone that Atem immediately liked. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was passing by and saw you here. It sounds strange, I’m sure, but would you mind if I sat here?” the man gestured to the booth opposite Atem’s.

“Why here?” Atem asked. He glanced around, noting several empty tables dotting the café.

The man shrugged, threading a hand through his hair. “I wanted to get to know you. And you looked like you were having trouble with something. I thought you could use a hand, maybe.”

Atem chose not to respond immediately, instead glancing around to see if the man had anyone else with him, or if anyone was curiously sending gazes at them. He seemed alone, which confused Atem more. He’d never been approached like this before, and yet this man seemed genuine in his appearance.

“But I could be wrong,” the man continued, leaning against the booth. “If you’d rather be along, I won’t object.”

Atem let his gaze rest on the other, searching for anything. He found nothing but sincerity, blocking anything else. He realised he couldn’t deduce anything about this man, but his instincts weren’t leaving him on edge, so he figured he could afford to loosen up. Jou was always telling him to take proper breaks, and since he had taken his work to the café, it felt fitting to allow himself a moment to just talk to someone else, instead of interrogating everything.

“Am I that obvious?” Atem laughed, propping his head on a hand, using the other to readjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“I know the look of someone deep in concentration is all,” the man grinned. He gestured once more to the booth opposite Atem, looking hopeful.

Atem nodded, spreading his hands wide in silent offering.

“Thanks,” the man sat down sideways, leaning half on the table. His eyes trailed to the pages sprawled across the table, and Atem quickly packed away his sheets, slapping the folder closed and sliding it into his bag. As charming as the stranger seemed to be, Atem couldn’t trust police documents around him.

The man gave him a curious expression, but there was no hurt behind it. “Confidential stuff, not ready for the world yet,” Atem said by way of explanation.

The man nodded, a smile working over his face. “A creative project, I like it. I used to do some myself, before job life took over, and hobbies had to take a step back.”

“Yeah… I know the feeling,” Atem sighed. He had to give up several of his recreational favourites when the case started to become bigger than they had first imagined. Too many cold leads, and not a single thread of evidence to link it back to a suspect. They didn’t even _have_ any suspects, and the department was always too keen to remind Atem of such facts.

“So you’re stuck?” the man asked, pulling Atem’s focus back in front of him.

“Something like that.”

“What on, may I ask?”

“A problem,” Atem said slowly, choosing his words carefully. “I need to link some things together, but I can’t find anything that seems to fit. I’m beginning to think it’s hopeless, and I’m grasping at straws.”

“Maybe you could consider a new angle?” the man suggested.

“Like what?”

“Mmm, something you haven’t thought of before. However you’re viewing your problem right now, consider something else. A new motive, change of pace, I don’t know what it is exactly of course, but that’s what I’d do for a tough problem.”

“Huh…” Atem considered the other’s words, brows drawing deep in his concentration.

He supposed… if he ran the list of names and cross referenced them with people the victim knew, or dealt with in business life, he might be able to find something. Or someone who could then point him somewhere else. _Maybe the victims have something connecting them. Something small, easy to miss…_

 _That could work…_ Atem felt his eyes widening, and he must have looked surprised, as the man gave him a beaming smile.

“Helpful, maybe?” he prompted.

“Yes, actually, I think I know what to do now,” Atem nodded, that infectious smile spreading to his own face. “Thank you… I’m sorry, I never caught your name?”

“It’s Yugi,” the man said.

“I’m Atem,” Atem offered out a hand, and he found he was thrilled when Yugi took it.

“Nice name. Egyptian in origin, right?”

Atem was taken aback. “Yes. My parents were from Egypt,” he replied, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

“I used to study Egyptology,” Yugi offered in explanation. “My grandfather was crazy about it.”

“Really?” Atem leaned closer, hands tucked up against his chest on the table. “It’s rare to find people who understand my culture here, or even know of it. Consider me deeply impressed.”

Yugi laughed, tossing him a wink. “Well, I aim to impress always.”

“So how do you know-” Atem was interrupted when a loud chime bounced between them. Yugi jumped, brows furrowing as he dug something out of his pocket. A few seconds later had him staring down at his phone, muttering under his breath.

“Oh, I have to go, oops,” Yugi tossed him an apologetic look. “Gonna be late for work, and that never ends well for me.”

“Of course, don’t let me keep you,” Atem nodded, trying his best not to let his disappointment show. “Thank you for taking the time to help a stranger.”

“No problem,” Yugi replied, shuffling out of the booth. “Good luck with the problem, Atem. It was nice meeting you.”

Atem politely inclined his head, and Yugi took his leave. Atem watched him, unable to tear his gaze away until Yugi disappeared behind a building beyond the café windows, out of his line of sight.

 _What a strange man…_ Atem thought, turning back to the cups on the table. Something felt peculiar about their meeting, leaving him with an electric feeling tingling the tips of his fingers.

He wasn’t one to put complete faith in the beyond, but to say anything else than something involving fate had passed by him today would be a lie. He shivered, unable to suppress the feeling of having eyes on him.

He tipped his glasses further up his nose, shifting in his chair to a more comfortable position. It felt like he would be here long into the night, but with Yugi’s advice buzzing around in his head, things didn’t feel so complicated anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay if anyone's reading while it's updating. June was a very busy time for me also I wasn't feeling well ahaha. Hopefully I'll be back to more frequent updates now uvu I hope u enjoy!!

The next day Atem came in early to the office to start off fresh. He set up to chew through some reports in the morning before sticking his nose back into his main case.

The autopsy results had come in late last night, but he had already processed them, finding nothing useful. After his talk with Yugi, he had planned to stay up well into the night to search for connections, but Jou had badgered him into leaving early for sleep and hygiene. Atem supposed he couldn’t complain, since the shower had done wonders for his tense muscles. 

He had the beginnings of several hopefully useful lists. There was the list from the motel, names cluttering page after page as his eyes scrolled through them. He had taken out some names, but there was nothing that stood out in connection to the newest victim, and all the links to the previous ones were dead cold after the length of time from the current case.

He hadn’t considered contacts to acquaintances and friends, though.

He decided to wait until Jou arrived, to discuss this approach with him. Jou had been in charge of lists for the case, and most of the physical copies were on his desk. Atem had no hope of finding the lists among the jungle of paper stacked around haphazardly there.

A few hours later, Jou walked in coffee in one hand with the other raised to his mouth, hiding a yawn. Atem nodded to him, watching Jou head over to his desk. He waited until Jou had sipped from his coffee a few times before he rose to join him.

“Jou, I have an idea-”

“Oh dear, here it comes,” Jou chuckled, leaning back on his chair. “Let’s have it, then.”

Atem rolled his eyes. “So I was thinking, we have close friend and business partner lists for the previous victims, don’t we?”

“Yeah, _somewhere_ in the records, probably. Why?”

“Are there any connections?”

“Dunno man, that’s so much information to get through… I’m still looking through the motel list.”

“I already looked through the motel contacts and there’s not much, but we can cross reference later. Can you do this too?” Atem pressed.

“Oooh… I dunno, that’s a lot of ground to cover,” Jou responded, sounding wary. “I mean, both lists? That could take us _months_.”

“Well we don’t have much else to go by,” Atem argued. “And this case has been open for much longer than a few months. If it yields us answers, wouldn’t it be worth the time? To find a clue, finally?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Jou sighed. “But it’ll be _my_ ass doing most of the research here.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end, when we finally solve this case.”

“I hope so,” Jou mumbled. “But I guess so long as I’m gettin’ paid...”

Atem smiled. “Thanks Jou, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah, buy me a coffee.” Jou waved him off.

“I’ll bring you one back, I’m going to think on it in the park. Text me if anything new develops.” Atem said, rising from his desk.

Jou gave him a grunt in reply, his nose stuck in a wad of paper already.

Atem ducked out of the building, trotting down the sidewalk. He passed his usual café, his thoughts floating to the strange man he had met there.

Yugi had been interesting; something he hadn’t expect to happen on his trip to the café. There was something unusual about him, something Atem felt he needed to see more of to be able to work out. It reminded Atem of how little he got out these days, times made less frequent the more this case bore down on him. It was nice to take a moment out, see someone new. _I almost wish I had gotten his number,_ Atem sighed wistfully. _We’ve met once, and yet, there was something about him I want to know more of._ _Is that weird…?_

He reached the park, barely noticing anything between the trip. He let his feet take him where they wished, circling around the garden pathways. He looped around several times, watching the lush shades of green float by. Blurry figures passed by him, but he barely gave them a glance, too lost in his thoughts.

“Atem!” Atem paused, swinging his head around.

He saw Yugi racing towards him, waving cheerily. He beamed back, meeting him halfway.

“What a weird coincidence to see you here, Yugi,” Atem replied. “How’s it going?”

“Much better now you’re here,” Yugi winked. Atem turned away to hide the heat in his face, using adjusting his glasses as a distraction and excuse. _This guy is… very upfront,_ Atem decided.

“So how did it go? The big mysterious problem?” Yugi prompted.

“Oh, good, good. I mean I’m still working on it, but your advice helped,” Atem’s smile widened. “Thank you.”

“Glad to be of assistance,” Yugi gave a half bow, pivoting to the side, gesturing Atem beside him. “Walk with me?”

“You’re not in a rush? You looked like you were running a marathon there,” Atem asked, amused.

“Just to catch you,” Yugi laughed. “You walk like you’re on a mission.”

“I guess I am. But I’m actually on break right now. Trying to avoid work.”

“I know the feeling,” Yugi smiled. “So, can I still interest you in a walk around the park?”

Atem laughed, gesturing to his side. “Sure, I could use the company.”

“That’s what I’m good for,” Yugi beamed, sliding into step with Atem. He led the way around the various paths, seemingly in a random selection as Atem had done before. They walked in silence for a few moments, and Atem had the impression Yugi was gathering his thoughts on what to say as much as he was. He beat Yugi to it, as he hummed loudly before saying, “So tell me something about yourself?”

“Why?” Yugi laughed.

“I know nothing about you,” _and I want to know more,_ Atem found himself thinking. He was curious, Yugi seemed like a well of knowledge hidden behind a sly smile. It was enticing, and mysterious; a challenge always twinkling in Yugi’s eyes with something he knew but Atem didn’t.

“Well, I know nothing about you either, my mysterious problem solving companion. But, perhaps we could make a deal out of it then.”

“Back and forth?” Atem suggested. Yugi nodded.

“Exactly,” he hummed. “You start, since it was your idea.”

“Okay… what’s your line of work?”

“Retail,” Yugi replied. “I work at a little game shop some ways from here.”

“Do you like games?”

“Hey, hey, no fair!” Yugi held up his hands, pivoting around to walk backwards facing Atem. “One question each!”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Atem dipped his head. “Your turn, then?”

“Hmm… Wine or beer?”

“I don’t mind both, actually. Yourself?”

“I’m a wine drinker, got the taste from a previous partner and it never left. I don’t mind beer, though. Guess I’ll drink just about anything, especially if it’s free.”

“Was that a suggestion?” Atem twitched his lips upwards. Yugi gave him a sly grin.

“Maybe,” he hummed. “By the way, I like the glasses. Very cute,” he winked.

“O-Oh,” Atem blinked, feeling his face flush. “Um, thank you…? I like your… hair colour.”

Yugi laughed, throwing his head back. “Thanks! Bet you can’t guess my favourite colour?”

“Hmm,” Atem raised his tone in a playful matter. “Could it be… blue?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Yugi stuck his tongue out.

They continued to go back and forth for what felt like hours as they walked aimlessly around the gardens.

Atem stopped to notice they were passing one of the exits close to his work. He could take the path to easily navigate back to the office. A quick check of his phone told him he should probably be taking up the opportunity. His break was over.

“Well, I should probably head back,” Atem sighed.

“Understandable,” Yugi replied.

“Thanks for this. I had… a lot of fun,” Atem said, smiling.

“Same,” Yugi replied. “It’s nice to have a moment to slow down, and just enjoy company.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” _Especially with present company,_ Atem thought.

Yugi nodded back, his breath fluttering out with a heavy sigh. “Well, back to work, I presume?”

“It never ends,” Atem replied.

“Oh, I feel that,” Yugi chuckled. His face lit up suddenly. “Oh, hey, if you want someone to rant to anytime, I’m always around. Give me a call sometime?” Yugi held out a slip of paper, and Atem took it, glancing down at the text scrawled onto it.

It was Yugi’s number. His eyes widened, flicking back up to Yugi. Yugi gave him a knowing look, winking for extra measure.

Atem ducked his head, feeling the heat tingling his cheeks. “I will, thank you.”

“Until then, Atem,” Yugi waved goodbye, trotting off.

Atem watched Yugi until he disappeared, breath billowing out in front of him. He had long since retreated his hands into his pockets, stuffing the wrists in as much as he could manage.

When Yugi was gone, he allowed himself to continue down the path, heading back to the office.


	4. Chapter 4

The station was abuzz with activity, people typing furiously on keyboards while others chatted loudly on phones.

Atem had barely spoken to anyone, too busy buried in his thoughts about the case to worry about the others. He hadn’t felt so close to such a cold case as he did now. Sure, they had nothing much to go by, but it still _felt_ like he was going further, getting closer, _somehow_.

He was interrupted by Jou suddenly calling out to him, snapping him out of his focus.

“Hey Atem!”

“Yes?” Atem perked up, leaning over his desk. Jou had turned around in his chair, a bunch of folders in his hand.

“Got through the lists you wanted- sort of. They’re big, but I got Honda to help out a bit, and we managed to find something.”

“Oh?” Atem inclined further over the desk, looking up as Jou approached.

“We have a few connections, I guess, but it ain’t much,” Jou shrugged, slapping down the wad of paper. “Knock yourself out.”

“A few is better than none, thanks Jou,” Atem leaned forward, snatching the first folder and burrowing into it. He scanned over the details and lists under the names. A few were stretches, but he had expected them; minimal contact with the victim, but contact nonetheless. One name stood out to him, however, one he recognised from its popularity.

“Pegasus? The rich guy who makes card games?” Atem looked up questioningly at Jou.

“He was on one of the lists,” Jou replied.

“Why?”

“He knew the last victim apparently.”

“Well he’s rich and popular, so he’d know a lot of people,” Atem grunted.

“Hey man, you wanted leads, no matter how small. And, well, they’re small,” Jou shrugged again. “I’m sorry, but it was all I can dig up.”

“You’re right, it’s fine. Thank you for doing this, Jou, I appreciate it,” Atem dipped his head, clutching the folders closer.

He started with the other names first, running them through the records to see if there had been previous strikes against them. Most seemed fine, and the few things that did show up were minor parking or speeding fines.

He switched to Pegasus. Searching Pegasus’ name under the news tab sent an explosion of websites responding with articles and interviews. Sifting through all the recent results, he opened several links that looked promising.

Most of them spoke about Duel Monsters, the card game Pegasus was famous for. He was incredibly good at dodging personal questions, Atem thought, as the man was able to always steer the conversation back to his product.

The man had a perfect record with police too, he was involved in no scandals (that Atem could find) and there were no files on him.

Nothing. They were all dead ends. There was little to go by in the interviews that wasn’t fabricated for the public’s opinion, and the press articles were just as useless.

He felt stuck, once again. But, he thought with a smile, this time, he knew he had a way out, somewhere to go to find his direction again.

And with someone to help.

“I’m going to go clear my head again, see if something can click,” he told Jou.

“Sure thing, I’m back to some other stuff now anyhow,” Jou muttered, spinning around in his chair. He was facing away from Atem, already busy stuck into something else, so Atem just left.

He paused just outside the building, leaning against the brick wall out of the way of people walking past. He stared down at his phone, smoothing a thumb over the screen. It burst to life under his touch, and he fingered over his contacts. Yugi’s name and number were already slotted into his phone; the first thing he had done upon returning to the office the other day.

He hit the call button, holding the phone to his ear.

It wasn’t quite noon yet, and Atem wondered if Yugi was working at the shop. He knew there weren’t any game shops in this side of the city, so Yugi must have worked far away, in a suburb somewhere else. Maybe he just happened to visit the city a lot, for deliveries or something else.

If Yugi was working, he shouldn’t interrupt him then. He considered hanging up, and just leaving himself to stew in his agony alone, but before Atem could chicken out, the line picked up, and he heard Yugi’s voice through the other line.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Oh- Yugi? H-Hello,” Atem replied.

“ _Atem! Aw, you rang me,_ ” Yugi answered immediately, a hum in his tone. “ _What can I do for you?_ ”

“I was wondering if you wanted to get together? I mean, I’m a bit stumped with my work and was looking for an escape.”

“ _And you’re hoping I’ll provide?_ ” Yugi laughed. “ _I guess I could, I’ve got some time. When and where?_ ”

“The café? How about five minutes? Or are you far away right now?”

“ _Mmm… not too far. Not five minutes away, though. Give me ten, maybe fifteen, and I’ll be there_.”

“Of course, take all the time you need.”

“ _All right, I’ll see you soon then Atem. Bye!_ ” The line went dead, and Atem sighed in relief.

He found sweat breaking out over his palms, and he realised the call had made him more nervous than he expected. Wiping his hands over his pants, he pocketed his phone and then started off down the street, making his way towards the café.

It didn’t take him long to get there, even walking at a leisurely pace, and he found Yugi hadn’t arrived yet. It was fine, he said he’d take longer anyways, and Atem wasn’t in a hurry.

He paced around the sidewalk, glancing off in each direction before turning around to walk the other way. He purposely avoided constantly checking his watch, and was grateful when he finally saw Yugi making his way towards him.

“Yugi! Hey, thanks for coming,” Atem waved.

Yugi waved back, stopping just in front of Atem. “No problem. I’m always happy to help.”

They headed inside and ordered drinks. Yugi went first, heading over to the same booth they had been in last time. Atem joined him soon after.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Yugi asked, head resting on a hand as he gave Atem his full attention. 

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Atem admitted. “I need help with my work, but I’m really stuck. Part of me just wanted an excuse to vent, I think.”

“Well I’m here, so vent away if you want.”

“Thanks,” Atem smiled. “I just… I can’t help but feel like I’m not getting anywhere, you know?”

“What about the last time we talked? You said things were going well.” Yugi commented.

“Yeah, I thought so too. Don’t get me wrong though, you helped out a lot, and I did feel like we were getting somewhere, but I think it was just me fooling myself into thinking that we might finally have something of substance.”

“How so?”

“It seems like every time I find something of value, it leads to nothing, and-” Atem paused as their coffees arrived, thanking the server. “And then I’m right back to square one.”

“Hmm, that does sound annoying…” Yugi said, stirring sugar into his coffee. “Maybe you could let it go? Do something else instead? Even if it’s just for a while, if you can’t get rid of it all together.”

“No,” Atem shook his head. “I can’t risk losing this case. It’s just too important, and too many people are dying because of it.”

“’Case?’” Yugi hummed. “As in inspection?”

Atem flinched. He didn’t want to reveal that. Panic beat through his body, but he forced himself to remain calm, smiling nervously. “I guess I let it slip. Oops.”

“So you’re a detective, then?” Yugi laughed, leaning closer on a hand. “How exciting. Wow… I didn’t realise your ‘problems’ were of that kind.”

“What kind is that?” Atem asked, keeping his voice even. Yugi tilted his head, eyes searching Atem’s for something.

“Serious problems. The kind that relate to life and death. Honestly I thought you just wanted help with a relationship or something with how secretive you were being, but it makes way more sense now.”

“I suppose so,” Atem said slowly. He took a moment to think his next words over. Yugi was gazing intently at him, but his expression was even and focused. There was no trace of mocking humour there, much to Atem’s relief. He offered a smile, and Yugi nodded, like he understood.

“So, anyways, now that your life changing secret is out, anything I can help with this time?”

“Honestly, I probably shouldn’t be consulting all this evidence with a civilian…” Atem replied, letting his wariness be heard. He knew it got through to Yugi as he saw the downwards tilt of his lips, and the way his brows furrowed.

“Oh… Well, that’s understandable. Except you did sort of consult with me before, vague details or not. But, if you don’t want me here while you work, then I’ll leave,” Yugi moved to stand from the booth.

Atem lunged forward to stop him, throwing a hand out without thinking. “No, you can stay. Please. I want you to.”

Yugi paused, eyes moving from Atem’s hand to his eyes, analysing something. “I’m sorry,” Atem stressed.

Yugi gradually sat back down, hands pressed to the table. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Atem said.

“It’s understandable,” Yugi waved him off, his charming smile returning. “So, then? What’s the problem? If you’re okay with sharing, of course.”

“Well…” Atem mumbled, tapping his fingers on the table. He relented, feeling like any help was better than none. He had already said so much, what was a few details more? “We think we have a suspect now.” It wasn’t necessarily true, but he had nothing else.

“You think?”

“This case is very hard,” Atem explained. “We have hardly any leads, and you’ve seen how I’ve been tearing my hair out over it recently. That’s because we’ve had dead end after dead end, with nothing to go with. It’s been… stressful, to say the least,” Atem sighed, massaging a hand over a temple. He was surprised how eager he was to unload this on someone new, despite how alarm bells were ringing in his head over it. But Yugi was looking at him with unwavering attention, and he ignored the bells, instead focusing on Yugi’s expression as he mulled over Atem’s words.

“So… do you have any leads, then?”

“Just this one. And it might not even lead to anything. It’s just a passing connection we made, but it’s still a connection, so… we’re a bit desperate, you could say,” Atem chuckled.

Yugi nodded. “What’s the lead?”

“A man who knew the last victim. He’s a party guy. Has money, likes to flaunt it around and build projects for self-satisfaction. Frequently in the public eye. It makes this a bit more difficult, since rich people are always a pain to rope into investigations.”

“What’s his name?”

“Maximillian Pegasus.”

Yugi’s eyes widened for a second before he closed them, nodding. “Ah, him.”

“You know him?”

“Well he is famous,” Yugi reopened his eyes, humming softly. “Sounds like someone Seto Kaiba would know.”

“Seto Kaiba?” Atem frowned.

“You know, the millionaire? Spends a lot of his money on games?”

“I know of him, but what does this have to do with my case?”

“Well he runs big parties a lot. The kind everyone tends to go to. There’s one coming up actually. This weekend.”

“A party?” Atem snapped his head up, feeling his eyes widen. “Of course… Seto Kaiba’s influence spreads wide. I’m sure it would be the perfect place to meet and strike a deal.” How had he not seen it? Of course someone of Pegasus’ status would be brushing elbows with someone like Kaiba. _I should have figured that out myself,_ Atem lamented, mentally kicking himself.

“Ah, right… well, just as well I mentioned it,” Yugi shrugged nonchalantly, his finger sliding up and down his glass in an absent way.

“How do you know about this party?” Atem enquired.

“Er… well…” Yugi laughed nervously, shrugging. “I’m kind of going to it I guess?”

“Really? Well, now you definitely have to tell me what your job is. You know Seto Kaiba?”

“Yeah… it’s got nothing to do with my job, though, more that… I… and him… we kind of, you know… dated, a while back.” Yugi ducked his head, an obvious blush spreading across his cheeks.

Atem couldn’t stop his eyes widening even if he wanted to. “You and Kaiba? No way, you dated Seto Kaiba!?”

“It’s not a big deal, really,” Yugi muttered, covering his lower face with a hand. “And it was ages ago.”

“He must still think it was a big deal, if he invites you to his parties.” Atem raised a questioning eyebrow.

Yugi gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. “It really wasn’t a big deal! I swear! Don’t put me on the spot like this!”

“I’m just saying, the facts are there, Yugi…”

“You devil,” Yugi stuck his tongue out before his expression morphed into a smirk. “But fear not, my dear Atem. I am one hundred percent single right now,” he tossed a wink for extra measure, and Atem coughed awkwardly.

He suddenly found the tabletop utterly fascinating, staring down at it and counting the spots in the surface material. “Yes, well… I guess I might see you there, then?”

Yugi gave a soft hum, his fingers moving to drum on the table. “I suppose so. We seem to keep meeting on coincidence, so I would say there’s hardly a chance we won’t run into each other while we’re there.”

“I have to agree with you there. Feels almost… natural. Like it’s bound to happen.” Atem chuckled. Yugi’s lips twitched upwards, his eyes shining.

“It’s a date,” Yugi winked before taking off.

“Wait, a… date?” Atem flushed, ducking his head to put a hand to his mouth, pushing his glasses further up. He couldn’t help how his chest fluttered at the thought, nor how much more blood poured to his face when he pictured the formal wear they were required to wear. _Yugi would look good in a suit…_

* * *

Later that night, Atem sat in his apartment with his phone in hand, scrawling through his contacts. He hadn’t messaged Kaiba in a long time, and to suddenly call and ask for a favour was not at the top of Seto Kaiba’s favourite things list. Especially from a cop he had had little interaction with aside from some reports and investigations.

 _Hopefully I’ll catch him in a good mood,_ Atem thought. He tapped over Kaiba’s name, and the tone began to dial.

“ _What do you want?_ ” Kaiba’s clipped tone came through immediately.

“Seto Kaiba, hello,” Atem tried his best to sound even and polite, but he knew there was some reserve that came across the line still.

“ _Sennen? Why are you calling me?_ ” Seto grunted. Atem could hear the clack of keys against a computer through the line, and rolled his eyes. Of course Seto Kaiba wouldn’t stop what he was doing for a simple conversation.

“To be blunt, I need an invite to your big party you’re holding this weekend. I have a suspect I know will be attending it and I need to meet with them.”

“ _Why can’t you just track them down and confront them in their home?_ ”

“I don’t want to scare them, or let them know I’m a detective,” Atem explained. Besides, he wasn’t about to let Seto ruin his chance to talk to Yugi again. Especially with a change in scenery from the café, Atem welcomed this opportunity to see what Yugi would dazzle him with next.

“ _Fine, Sennen, I’ll give you an invite,_ ” Seto sighed. “ _The dress code is strict, though, so I expect you to look the part. Understood?_ ”

“Yes, thank you,” Atem exhaled deeply.

“ _Make it quick, and don’t cause a fuss, or I will personally have you fired._ ”

“As you wish, Kaiba.”

He heard a grunt, and then the line cut off, leaving the dial tone in its wake. He slumped back into the couch, a lazy smile taking over his expression. He began to drift off to sleep, but his mind wasn’t worrying about the potential danger of confronting the suspect, instead, he was wondering what colour suit Yugi would wear.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 90% smut, as a heads up. If you don't like smut, skip when you see the bolded sentence and rejoin at the next bolded sentence for the ending part. Hopefully that helps, please enjoy.

The party felt like a mistake. He had gotten the invite for the sole purpose of tracking down the target, and that had been what he planned to do.

But he had forgotten how rough the sea of conversation could be when the rich came out to play, and Seto Kaiba held nothing back when it came to lavish gatherings. He felt out of place, although not underdressed, with the pressed suit he had hired for the event.

It was comfortable, but limited his movements, making snappy arm motions sluggish and slow. He would give anything to be back at HQ, behind his desk with a mountain of paperwork and slack dress shirts.

But he had to be here. The next clue that could crack the case was here.

And so he had slunk off to the side after the bare minimum of interactions, nursing a wine in his hands. It was hard to deflect conversation when he stood out like a beacon in his black suit along the patterned wall, but luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention, too enthralled in their own matters to look over at him.

“Sennen,” Seto suddenly strolled up beside him, glancing down.

“Kaiba,” Atem greeted with a nod. “Wonderful party you have here.”

“That’s exactly why you’re standing over here and not mingling with the others,” Seto scoffed. He had a wine glass in his hand, raised close to his lips.

“It’s so much fun I just had to stop and take a breather,” Atem countered with a smirk.

Seto just grunted, sipping from his glass. “Have you located your suspect yet?”

“Not yet,” Atem replied. “But I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

“Well try and be more active with your search; the sooner you leave, the sooner I can stop worrying about a potential problem at my event.”

Atem dipped his head, pushing off the wall. “As you wish.”

Seto’s head turned to watch him leave as Atem trotted off in no particular direction.

The general cloud of chatter hung thick over the air, broken up occasionally with the clink of glasses. He sipped frequently from his own, until the cup was empty and he discarded it with a passing waiter.

He scanned faces, offering polite smiles and nods when eyes turned to his. Thankfully no one approached him to speak, so he kept moving around, ducking in and around the support pillars on the edges of the room to keep away from potential hazards.

Despite his best efforts, he still managed to bump into someone, and quickly worked to keep his current wine glass from spilling.

“I’m so sor-” he began before being cut off.

“Watch it, _pal_ ,” a man with dark eyes glared at him, tossing bright, silky hair over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Atem muttered again, but the man was already stalking off, leaving Atem standing there sullenly.

A hand touched his shoulder, and before he could swing around a face came into his line of vision.

“Yugi! Shit, you scared me,” Atem sighed.

Yugi wriggled his eyebrows mischievously, a grin piercing his lips. “You look nice today.”

“So do you,” Atem said, letting his eyes wander over Yugi’s outfit.

Where Atem had gone for a more formal suit, Yugi had added his own creative flare to his attire. Long black pants with studded shoes below, a tight fitting white undershirt with a gorgeous vest draped over it. The vest matched a tie tucked underneath it, both the same dazzling shade of purple, strikingly similar to Yugi’s eyes. It wasn’t the suit Atem had been day dreaming about, but somehow it was still better, more _Yugi_ than Atem could ever have thought.

His hair was combed back, although it still sprung up at the back in a defiant way, and two studded earrings adorned the bottoms of his ears.

“Thanks, handsome,” Yugi winked, his eyes quickly glancing around. “Did you come with anyone?”

“No, just here alone.” Atem replied, rubbing a hand over his eyes, bumping his glasses up.

“What, a handsome guy like you, all alone?” Yugi smiled. “Now that doesn’t sound right.”

“Oh? Well then, what on earth shall I do to remedy my problem?” Atem smiled back, raising an amused eyebrow.

“Well,” Yugi hummed, sliding closer. “And this is just a suggestion. But seems to me you could use some company. _Private_ company, perhaps…”

“Private?” Atem echoed, confusion drawing his brows together. “What kind?”

Yugi flashed him a dazzling smile, and he felt his shoulders relax just a bit more.

“Something I think you’ll like,” Yugi winked. One of his hands wandered up to Atem’s arm, shifting to cup at his cheek.

He knew he shouldn’t let himself get distracted like this, that he had to stay focused on his mission. But the suspect hadn’t shown up yet. Perhaps they wouldn’t come at all. And Yugi’s hand was so warm… Hadn’t he been wanting this?

Atem felt a similar warmth spreading through his cheeks, and whether or not it was the alcohol, he found he didn’t care. “Then I think you should lead the way, Mister Mutou, and show me what you have in mind.”

Yugi flashed him a smirk, tugging on his arm. Atem followed.

Yugi took him around the pillars towards a corner of the room. There was a door there, nestled into the edges, and Yugi towed him through it.

They travelled up a broad wooden staircase lined with carpet, which spilled over onto the floor of the next storey. Doors marched down either side of the walls, decorated in lavish gold painted swirls. All of the door knobs were also painted gold, and Atem couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the extensive show of wealth. It was gorgeous, though, so Atem had to give it that.

Yugi stopped by one of the doors at the far end, swinging it open. He gestured for Atem to step forward first, and Atem obliged.

The inside was a bedroom, a large queen bed in the centre, with two sets of drawers on either side of the head. Off on the far side there was a glass set of doors leading out to a balcony, and everything was decorated in slick wood and lush creamy wallpaper.

“Well, it’s to the point,” Atem said, moving to sit down on the bed. He turned to watch Yugi walk in, shutting the door behind him.

Yugi bounced over to him, taking up seat beside Atem. “I like it. We’re here for a reason, and Seto supplies it. Nice.”

“Does he… always do that?” Atem asked, amused.

“Kind of. I mean, a lot of people love to have one-night stands at big parties like this. The kind that don’t care for reputation outbursts, that is. I dunno, I never got the hang of rich people problems.” Yugi shrugged, giving Atem a lopsided smile.

**“It’s lucky for us, then, that no one stumbled up here.”**

“Mmm, yes, it is. So…” Yugi crawled over him, his knees digging into the sheets on either side of Atem’s waist. He bent low, until their noses were almost touching. It was as far as Yugi could get without bumping Atem’s glasses. His eyes were blazing violet depths, and Atem felt his breath stop at the sight.

“Come on handsome, let’s dance for a while,” Yugi murmured, his voice low.

“This is hardly a good setting for a waltz,” Atem gave a shy smile, and Yugi snickered.

“Well, we’ll have to try something else, then,” he whispered, leaning in. He grazed his teeth over Atem’s jawline, drawing a hitch from his breath.

“You look so cute with those glasses,” Yugi cooed, his fingers trailing over the rims.

“C-Cute?” Atem frowned. “I have bad eyesight; I have to wear them.”

“Yes but they’re still adorable. You look all mature with the slanted frames, and the black really highlights your beautiful eyes.” Yugi hummed. He leaned forward until his mouth was right next to Atem’s ear, his cheek touching Atem’s.

“And I want you to keep them on while I fuck you,” he said in a low voice.

Atem froze, feeling his body heat up. Far too much blood seemed to travel below his waist, and he felt flustered.

“O-Okay,” he managed to squeak out. Yugi chuckled. He nuzzled his nose into Atem’s neck before moving upwards, softly pressing his lips against Atem’s.

Atem heard his breath hitch, and his fingers curled into the sheets.

Yugi tilted his head, his tongue flicking out to slide into Atem’s mouth. Atem huffed into the kiss, moaning lowly.

His body swerved, moulding to Yugi’s side. He pressed closer, rough pants texture rubbing against each other. Yugi’s hands travelled up Atem’s shirt, slipping between the folds of his jacket. They played with the buttons on his dress shirt, occasionally dipping down to press warm digits against his skin.

Yugi eventually pulled back, and Atem gasped, his chest heaving with the intake of breath.

“Do you want to?” Yugi asked, sounding as breathless as Atem felt.

“Y-Yes. You do it.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. Please.”

“All right,” Yugi moved away, making Atem huff in annoyance. Yugi shot him a knowing smirk, but continued to sit up.

He rested back on his thighs, and as Atem poked his head up to watch, he saw Yugi rummaging around in one of his pockets.

He pulled out a tiny bottle of what looked to be a gel-like substance, and then Atem realised what it was when Yugi also pulled out a small square package.

“You brought lube?” he asked, laughing.

Yugi shrugged, looking sheepish. “Well, yeah. I mean, I had high hopes I’d be getting some tonight, and well… lube and a condom never hurt to have.”

“I can’t believe you just walked around with them shoved in your pockets.”

“Like I said, came prepared. Anyway, you might want to undress, so we don’t ruin our clothes. Don’t want to have to walk back out there with obvious creases, you know what I mean?”

Atem blushed. “Yeah, okay.” He wriggled off the bed, fingers fumbling at his buckle. It eventually yielded, and he wriggled out of his pants.

He then worked through his jacket and dress shirt, slipping then off his back. He reached for his glasses and then stopped, remembering Yugi’s request. He blushed, lowering his hand.

Climbing back onto the bed, Atem made himself comfortable at the head. Yugi joined him, having taken off his clothes too, kneeling naked in front of Atem, between his spread legs.

Atem took the opportunity to drink in Yugi’s appearance; the way his muscles created toned lines down his arms and legs, the curves of his pecs and dark curls of hair trailing his body down to his crotch.

He couldn’t ignore the way Yugi’s dick was hard already, twitching upwards against his stomach. He gave Yugi a knowing look through his glasses, and Yugi just smirked back.

“Can you blame me? I’m enjoying you as much as you’re enjoying me, I see,” he said, eyes flickering down to Atem’s own leaking dick.

“I guess not,” Atem laughed.

Yugi picked the lube back up, squirting the gel out onto his fingers. He experimentally wriggled the substance around before repositioning himself closer.

Yugi’s finger entered him, slimy and wet. He shifted uncomfortably, muscles clamping around the digit.

“I know it’s not the best feeling,” Yugi said. “But it’ll get easier. You’ve done this before, yeah?”

“Not for a while,” Atem replied, dropping his head to the side of the pillow. He closed his eyes, focusing on evening his breath.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No, keep going.”

“All right.”

Another finger joined the first, pushing up into him. The digits pressed and teased at his muscles, wriggling up and down. It began to feel to Atem like a cock thrusting into him, and he started to feel twinges of pleasure.

“Doing all right?” Yugi asked.

“I’m fine,” Atem huffed, widening his legs further. He heard Yugi hum in response.

Yugi pressed another finger inside. It was almost painful, how wide Atem felt himself stretching. He struggled not to squirm, but then gasped as Yugi pushed in further.

“That! Do that again!” he moaned. Yugi laughed, repeating his movements.

“Does that feel good?” he asked.

“Yes…” Atem panted, tossing his head around.

Suddenly the fingers retreated, leaving him empty. Atem raised his head, peering up at Yugi.

Yugi was shuffling forward, positioning his dick below Atem’s. In his hands was the condom, which he ripped open the packet of to roll over his cock. He glanced up at Atem, and Atem nodded his consent.

Slowly, Yugi entered him. He felt every inch slip inside, the condom and lube combination easing the passage. He tried hard not to tense, instead letting his tension gather in his hands, knuckles turning bright against the sheets.

Yugi suddenly stopped, watching Atem carefully.  “You ready?” he whispered.

“Y-Yes.”

Yugi began to move, slowly sliding up against Atem’s body. His stomach rubbed against Atem’s dick, the raw feeling making him gasp each time Yugi pressed closer.

Atem’s glasses were beginning to fog up with his and Yugi’s excessive close panting, and yet he could still make out Yugi’s intense gaze as he stared down at him. His piercing purple eyes hardly seemed to blink, too focused in on drinking in as much of Atem as they could.

“How…. How you holding up?” Yugi panted.

“G-Good,” Atem grunted. He clenched around Yugi’s dick, and Yugi swore aloud.

Yugi began to increase his pace, pushing into Atem faster.

Pleasurable little jolts surged through his system, leaving tingling sensations in the tips of his fingers and toes. He could feel his senses fuzzing over, growing so intense he could do little more than moan and beg for more. Every rub and brush of their skin was like fire pooling deep inside him.

“Yes! There! Please, Yugi!”

“Atem, I’m going to-”

“Do it!”

Yugi slammed into Atem, and Atem threw his head back.

He peaked with a chocked gasp, his release coursing through him in a series of euphoric bursts. He panted deeply, slumping back down onto the bed. He felt his come cover both his and Yugi’s stomach, sticking to any and all skin it could.

Yugi was pressed against him, head bowed as he seemed to ride out his own climax. Atem felt the pressure deep within, his muscles squeezing around Yugi’s dick in lazy repetition.

Everything seemed to stop as Atem caught his breath back, his body laying heavily against the mattress. Yugi pulled out of him, but remained leaning over him, his hands digging into the bed on both sides of Atem’s body.

 **He felt Yugi kiss his forehead softly, muttering something.** He thought he heard something about an apology, but it was too muffled to make out. There was a click, and then the bed rose as weight left it. Atem shuffled around, sighing happily. His hands felt tight, but he ignored it, basking in the gentle thrum of pleasure beating through his body.

It was a few moments later when he realised something felt wrong, and there was no movement by his side. _Wait… what was that sound before?_ Atem forced his eyes open, glancing around. He couldn’t move his arms; jerking on his hands told him they were stuck on something above him. He turned his head upwards to find a pair of handcuffs over his wrists, looped around the bedpost.

“Fuck,” he groaned, flopping back down _. What do I do now…?_ He had already assumed Yugi had left him here, tied to the bed so he couldn’t follow him. _But then why? Why doesn’t he want me to go? What is he hiding?_ Atem anguished, his mind pumping him with the idea that Yugi just wanted a quick fuck.

The door creaked open with a _woosh_ of air, and Atem heard a grunt.

“Sennen? What the hell are you doing?” he heard Seto’s voice bark at him.

“I didn’t ask to be tied to the god damn bed, okay!?” Atem gritted his teeth, tugging on his restraints. His cheeks burnt from humiliation, knowing full well how stark naked he was, covered in his own come.

Seto stalked over to the side of the mattress, a scowl on his face as he took everything in. “Let me guess, Yugi?” he said.

“Ye- wait, how did you know that?” Atem frowned.

Seto rolled his eyes. “I’m familiar with Yugi’s… habits,” he grunted, leaning over. His height allowed him to unclip the handcuffs easily, freeing Atem’s movement.

“The key?” Atem asked, immediately scrambling to cover his lower body with whatever sheets he could pull together, wiping his stomach.

“Right here apparently,” Seto replied, flashing the piece of metal. “I’d say Yugi didn’t want you to be up here long.”

“But why at all, then?” Atem shuffled upright, moving to the edge of the bed. He scooped up his clothes, wriggling back into them.  

“That’s a question only Yugi can answer, and you’ll have to wring it out of him.” Seto grunted, crossing his arms sourly.

“Why?”

“Because-” Seto was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, and they both swore.

“Outside, now!” Seto barked, storming out of the room. Atem hurried after him stalking down the hallway.

At the end, there was another doorway leading to another bedroom. A crowd of people were starting to gather, and Seto set out to corral them. Atem slipped around, charging into the room. His eyes immediately searched out the obvious mess on the ground.

Staring at the ceiling with dead, glassy eyes was Maximillian Pegasus. “Shit…” Atem swore, slapping his foot down on the ground.

There was a small pool of blood soaking into the carpet around the head, a gunshot hole in his head.

Seto appeared behind him, swearing under his breath. He gave Atem a curious glance, and Atem dipped his head. He had no answer, no method to reassure him that he knew what to do next.

The thought kept going around and around his mind, growing louder the more he stared down at his only lead dead on the floor.

_What do I do now?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for leaving such wonderful feedback on the last chapter! I rly appreciate the support <3

Without being able to do any more, Atem had returned to his apartment, collapsing down on the couch where he had stayed through the night.

He was glad he didn’t have alcohol lying around his apartment, or he would have been incredibly intoxicated by now. _Perhaps I shouldn’t be grateful for that, though_ , he grunted. He felt himself sinking further into the couch but did nothing to stop it; he felt lost once again.

They had finally gotten closer to working out the case, finding _something_ of value, only to have it snatched away. He couldn’t know if they were making progress, and he wasn’t sure they had the ability to, now that their only lead had been murdered minutes before Atem had the chance to talk to him.

 _But you had the chance, you idiot,_ he chastised himself. _You had the opportunity to look for Pegasus but instead you let Yugi distract you. You chose your personal life over your work one, and now someone is dead because of it. Stupid._

A sigh escaped his lips, long and sad. Yugi hadn’t replied to any of his messages, and all of his calls to the number Yugi had given him had gone straight to voice mail. Either Yugi was ignoring him, or he had simply not checked his phone all night. Maybe he had gone home and slept, after they had…

 _It was a one night stand, wasn’t it?_ Atem closed his eyes, letting the revelation wash over him. _He just wanted to fuck me and then move on. That’s all it was. All we were._

He glanced at the artefact sitting atop his bag on the coffee table. The low light pooling in from his kitchen illuminated its surface with a shiny smoothness. It left a cold feeling in his chest, and an eerie itch at the back of his neck.

Was this what was causing all those murders? A gold eye? So it was money, then? Someone was after ancient artefacts worth millions of dollars, and was taking out the owners swiftly to avoid penalty.

_But for this long? How have they not messed up even once? Or was this… the first time? Could this eye actually be the key to cracking this case?_

The window suddenly rattled, spooking Atem out of his thoughts. He jumped to attention, sitting up and peering over.

There hadn’t been any news of a storm coming, and the sky had been perfect outside when he had driven home. That had only been a few hours ago…

He made to stand when the window by the lounge room rattled. It startled him, but when he waited half off the couch and nothing happened, he allowed himself to sit back down. _Damn, I’ve got the spooks now,_ he took his glasses off, rubbing over his eyes before donning them again. _I should try and sleep, maybe I could-_

The window suddenly opened, and Atem clutched the edge of the couch in shock.

He couldn’t move, even though his mind screamed at him to get up, get a gun, do _something_.

A form crawled through the darkness, landing so silently on the carpet that Atem was concerned he didn’t hear anything. _How can anyone move that quietly?_ Atem thought, horror creeping through his veins. This wasn’t an average burglar.

The person stood up, and he recognised the face framed in bangs that turned to him, eyes bright in the lowlight.

“Yugi! What the fuck, geez, you scared the shit out of me- _again_. What are you even doing here- how did you find me?”

“Atem, hey… um… this is awkward, sorry,” Yugi said. He glanced down to his feet, shifting around.

“Why are you here…?” Atem froze, noticing the gun in Yugi’s hand. “Yugi…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- I didn’t want to involve you…” Yugi sighed, waving his hands in the air, gun following the movement. “You weren’t supposed to take the eye. My fault for leaving it behind in such a hurry, I suppose. And for forgetting my rifle, but I guess you should be thanking me for that.”

“Yugi. What is going on?” Atem asked, tone wary.

“I’ve been hired to… well, to kill you,” Yugi said, lowering his gun.

Atem felt his body freeze, and he swallowed. “By who? Why?”

“It’s nothing to do with you personally I think, so much as the fact you took the eye,” Yugi gestured with his other hand to the golden artefact sitting on the table.

“The eye? What is it? Why are people after it? _Who_ is after it?” Atem asked. His head spun with questions, and Yugi’s vague answers weren’t giving him anything. “Tell me why you’re here, Yugi. What are you doing?”

“I told you why I’m here. And, well… it’s because I’m a hitman. A professional. I can’t really say much, I’m under contract.” Yugi looked uncomfortable, eyes shifting warily to the window. Atem was worried he was going to make a run for it, but Yugi’s stance seemed rigid. He wasn’t going to turn away from Atem.

And then it clicked. “You killed Pegasus,” Atem said. It wasn’t a question, and Yugi seemed to understand as much.

“I did,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“It was in my contract. Someone wanted him dead.”

“But murder? Really? Yugi, I… Don’t you… I can’t allow that. I’m a cop. And it’s _wrong_.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I… shouldn’t have involved myself with you,” Yugi looked away, his face twisting in guilt. “I should have been more professional. I let myself get… carried away.”

“’Carried away?’” Atem frowned, standing up. “Why are you doing this? Don’t you feel bad killing all these people?”

“Moral justice isn’t high on a hitman’s interests,” Yugi replied, his face scrunching up in a disappointed frown. “You don’t last long if you do.”

“So you’re fine with murder, then?” Atem shot back, bristling. “I can’t let you continue this.”

“You don’t have a choice, sadly,” Yugi replied coolly. He raised his gun, pointing the end towards Atem. Atem froze.

“That’s it, then? I’m next on the list, aren’t I?”

“You are.”

Atem stared down the barrel of Yugi’s gun. He willed his legs not to shake, but his confidence was fake.

He wasn’t used to being so close to the danger, most of his work was done behind his desk, or in already stale crime scenes. He wanted to cry, could already feel his glasses damp up, but he tried his best to appear tough. He didn’t want to die crying. Despite how Yugi had tricked him, he still didn’t want him to think any less of Atem. 

Yugi let out a long, deep sigh, lowering the weapon. He seemed to have made some sort of decision. Atem frowned. 

“This will be bad for both of us, in the end, but… I can’t kill you,” Yugi turned away, whispering, “I’m sorry, Atem.” He disappeared back out the window, the night swallowing him whole.

Atem was left staring after him, his mind buzzing full of questions and his chest hollow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's probably still the 25th for a lot of the world, but over here it's Atem's birthday, so happy birthday you beautiful sunshine boi! Here's an update to celebrate~

The days began to blur. He couldn’t remember how many had gone by since the night at the party. He wasn’t sure he cared.

But his colleagues had noticed him wallowing, and Jou had taken it upon himself to keep Atem focused on his work, or for him to take time off at least to sort out his problems. Problems Atem hadn’t had the heart to open up and tell Jou about.

How could he even begin to word it? ‘Hey Jou, you know that serial killer we’ve been after for years now? Well I found him and fucked him, then let him get away!’ Yeah, that wasn’t going to cut it.

Some part of him kept expecting Yugi to show up. Every day he went to the café, and his eyes wandered to the street outside, searching for the familiar mess of violet hair.

But Yugi didn’t show. The café felt as empty as every other time he visited it before meeting Yugi. What had changed? It felt like meeting Yugi had completely thrown his life out of whack. He couldn’t put his finger on it. What made their meeting so special? Why had he let a stranger sit at his booth like that, so casual as if they had been long-time friends? And that’s what it had felt like. Things slotted in with ease when he was around Yugi. He had brushed it off when Yugi had walked away that first time, but something had happened. A thread in his life had changed direction.

 _How silly,_ Atem sighed. _I’m sitting here staring at my ceiling and sulking. I should be at work, not moping around like I just lost my partner-_

He was interrupted by a loud knocking on his door. He paused, staring at the entrance to his apartment with a frown.

_Could that be Jou…? But then, why would he just come over without giving me a heads up?_

Warily, he approached the door on light feet, stopping just before it.

“Who is it?” he called, turning an ear towards the entrance.

“Atem, it’s me,” he heard Yugi’s voice and froze. “Can you open the door please? We need to talk.”

“Yugi?” Atem gasped, clutching at his shirt. “What are you doing here? I…”

“I know, it’s unexpected, and I’m sorry for showing up so suddenly. Could you let me in? So we can talk?”

“I’m not sure I should. I’m not sure I can trust you. I don’t think I should.”

“That’s understandable, and I know you have no reason to want to open this door. But… will you hear me out, anyway? Please? If you can trust my word, I promise I’m not here to kill you.”

He sounded genuine, but as far as Atem could tell, he could be standing out there with a gun, ready to shoot Atem point blank. _In the head, just like all his other victims,_ Atem bit his lip.

It was a risk, but… despite the danger, a part of Atem’s heart tugged at him to give Yugi another chance, to hear him out. _Just this once, then it’s over. I need to cut him out, this is getting too dangerous._

“Fine, but don’t make me regret this, Yugi,” Atem relented. He unlocked the door, opening it slowly.

He half expected to be rushed, or for Yugi to have returned to follow through with his orders. But instead, Yugi was true to his word. He walked in as Atem moved to the side, eyeing him carefully.

He watched Yugi trot off to the couch. Yugi was looking around the room, seemingly taking it all in for the first time. Atem supposed that he wouldn’t have been able to see much of it when he had broken in that night.

Atem moved to the other side of the room, sitting on the far couch while Yugi stayed by the front, near the other couch. He eventually stopped his observations, turning back to Atem. Atem kicked off their conversation.

“So why are you back here?” he asked.

“I… things didn’t feel right, where we left off,” Yugi started. He sounded wary, and Atem supposed he should be.

“The fact you came to murder me does put a dent in our relationship… whatever that is now,” Atem muttered.

“I know, and I am sorry you got involved. But… well, I can’t just leave this be.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve never failed an assignment,” Yugi explained, then he snorted. “Except for now, it seems. My… employer, will know something is off. We only have a few days before they’ll suspect something, when I don’t show up with the item.”

“Why does your client need this?” Atem gestured to the table between them, where the eye lay out from Atem’s inspections. He realised it was stupid, now, as Yugi could simply snatch it and run away. For a potentially life threatening artefact in his possession, he wasn’t being the most proactive about keeping it hidden and protected.

“They’re collecting ancient artefacts, something about family heirlooms or something,” Yugi shrugged. “I generally don’t ask for details on the why, and they’re not often provided. I’m hired to kill and collect, not understand why I’m doing it.”

“Why don’t you work with me and we could bring them in, put them in jail for murder instead.” Atem said, feeling excited as the words left his mouth. This could be an opportunity to finally end the case, one he had been looking for for _months_.

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Yugi replied, shaking his head. “The kind of people who hire hitmen usually have friends who are more than willing to get even for a lost business opportunity.”

 _Of course,_ Atem scowled, fisting his hands by his sides. _It just can’t be that easy._

“Can’t you just… make something up? Tell them you couldn’t find it maybe?”

“Well I can’t just let you keep it, obviously,” Yugi scoffed, leaning against the side of Atem’s couch. “Otherwise they’ll send someone else after it, and that person won’t be as hesitant as I have been.”

“Then what do you propose, Yugi?” Atem sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“I’ve been thinking about this,” Yugi said. “About what would work best for both of us, and what wouldn’t end in death.”

“And?”

“We run away.”

Atem felt his expression drop, disbelief covering his face. “Run away. You’re serious?”

“Look, we don’t have many options-”

“Running away sounds like hitting the last one.”

“-Which is pretty much where we are, Atem. Don’t you see? We’re, for lack of better wording, royally _fucked_.”

“And you’d stop all this? Life here? Just for… just because of this?”

“I would.” Yugi said immediately, not a single twinge of regret in his voice.

“But… why? We’ve hardly known each other for long, and… just _why_?”

“Well, there’s not much that keeps you close in my line of work. I have my connections, and a few friends, you could say. But, well… I have to admit, I like you, Atem. The idea of something terrible happening to you… I don’t want it to happen, and I want to help stop the chance it will.”

Was Yugi being truthful? Would Atem be insane to believe him? _After everything that’s happened, and in such a short period of time… it’s unreasonable, to give up everything just because Yugi made a mistake._

 _But you made a mistake too,_ Atem berated himself. _I can’t blame Yugi for everything…_ _But I’m with the law… I’m supposed to work against this exact kind of thing._

_But I also really like Yugi… I don’t want to lose him._

_But could I? Just give it all up? Yugi might be willing to, but… can I?_

“I’m not sure…” Atem said warily, glancing at Yugi.

“You don’t know?” Yugi clicked his tongue. “Ah. I see.”

“I’m sorry, this is just a little overwhelming… What you’re asking of me…”

“It’s a lot, I know.”

“Can I think it over? This is quite pressuring...”

“Yeah, I… uh, I can’t leave,” Yugi coughed awkwardly into his hand, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t think leaving a second time without accomplishing my contract would go down well. It’s already been too many days. This is risky territory.”

“Well if you’re not going to kill me anyway, what’s the harm? You’ve proven you’re quite quick witted, I’m sure you could tell them something.”

“Atem, there’s no way around it,” Yugi sighed, sliding down onto the couch opposite Atem’s. “If you’re still alive, and they know I didn’t follow through with my contract, they’ll just send someone else. And then we’ll both die. Well, you definitely would, me, maybe not. Hard to kill the best of the best.”

“That doesn’t reassure me very much,” Atem grunted.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Yugi crossed his arms, hunching over. “I’m just… not sure what to do.”

“Why did you have to be a hitman?” Atem sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “Why couldn’t you just be the game shop employee you told me you were?”

“Well, I do actually work at a game shop,” Yugi chuckled. “Gotta do something so people don’t get suspicious when I suddenly have a lot of money, you know?”

“Can’t say I would,” Atem mumbled. Yugi’s expression fell.

“Ah,” he said. “No I suppose you wouldn’t.”

Atem sunk further into his position on the couch, glowering down at the table between them. He saw Yugi readjust his pose slouched against the opposite couch, arms tight over his chest.

“Look,” Atem started. “I can’t just up and leave, like you want me to. I’m sorry, but I take my job seriously, and I can’t turn a blind eye to this.”

“So what do you suggest, then?” Yugi replied. “There is no magic fix-it solution to this, Atem. Not one that benefits us both.”

 _There has to be something,_ Atem thought, his brows scrunching in concentration. _Not a magical solution, but one that’s better than the alternatives._

But how could they fight someone and something they knew nothing about? _Wait… fight… that’s it, we could!_

“What if… we worked against your client?” Atem spoke up. Yugi’s face scrunched up in displeasure.

“Ah, not a good choice. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Who hired you?”

“Mmmm…” Yugi brought a hand to his face, rubbing over his mouth. “Not sure I should say…”

“How could this situation possibly get worse than it already is?”

“Hey, you don’t know, a whole lot I’m sure,” Yugi clicked his tongue. “But you’re right, I guess. All right, the only thing I know is that his name is Bakura- or at least the name he gave to me is- and he’s an antique dealer. Likes rare shit.”

“So he’s legit then?”

Yugi snorted, working up into a harsh laugh. “You can’t seriously think so? He hires a _hitman_ and you ask that? Aren’t you a cop?”

“No need to be like that, I was just trying to confirm,” Atem muttered. Yugi glanced over his way, and his expression gradually returned to neutral.

“Sorry,” he said. “You’re right, we should be working together for this.”

Atem nodded, brightening up. “So then… if your client- this Bakura- isn’t legit, then he must have some kind of record that shows his misdeeds.”

“People like him tend to work under the radar a lot, we’d be lucky to find records,” Yugi warned.

“Maybe not official records, then. But there has to be _something_ incriminating. Enough for me to get a warrant on him.”

“Huh… maybe…” Yugi paused, his face lighting up, eyebrows raising.

“You think it’s doable?” Atem asked, hopeful.

Yugi nodded. “I think… I have some friends who might be able to help,” he said, pushing off the couch. “And your status and access to police records could come in handy.”

“‘Could’?” Atem snorted. “Glad I _might_ be helpful.”

“Hush, I’m plotting,” Yugi waved his hands, but Atem didn’t miss the smile on his face.

“This seem like a better way than skipping town?” Atem chuckled.

“Maybe, maybe. If, and that’s a big _if_ , we can take this guy down. I’ve never tried to learn more about my clients before, secrecy being the top reason you hire a hitman in the first place.”

“I thought it was to off someone,” Atem said.

Yugi stuck his tongue out in a childish way, prompting Atem to snort again. “Yes but in a way that doesn’t scream ‘hi I’m your major competitor and I hired someone to kill you!’”

“Well you’re the expert,” Atem laughed.

Yugi snorted in response, rolling his eyes. “Okay… now listen, I think we could make this work. We just need to start spinning the wheel,” he hummed, tapping his chin.

“What do you suggest?” Atem asked. Yugi gave a grunt, making his way over to the door.

“All right, here’s the plan. You go back to work tomorrow, and I’ll meet you there sometime. During your lunch break would probably be best.” Yugi began to walk slowly over to the door, opening it before turning back to Atem.

“Okay, but we should meet at the café so it’s less conspicuous.” Atem said, rising from the couch to trot over.

“Fair enough. Until tomorrow, then,” Yugi nodded.

“See you then,” Atem agreed, closing the door softly. He heard Yugi’s footsteps on the stairs, fading off into nothing as he left.


	8. Chapter 8

It felt like any other day, returning to the office. The commute from his apartment was the same as ever, even the coffee he picked up along the way to HQ was still bitter. It was strange, for everything to be so peaceful and familiar after the trials he had dealt with over the past week.

He made sure to take the eye artefact with him, to avoid it being stolen should the relic dealer break into his house. If he and Yugi lost the eye, they lost their main advantage over Bakura.

Now that he had a plan, a way to combat everything thrown against him, he felt more confident. There was a small sliver of hope that this would all work out smoothly, and that he wouldn’t end up fighting some major crime boss by the end of it.

Atem noticed the odd looks people gave him as he strode through the main entrance hall. He did his best to ignore them, but couldn’t help an awkward smile at some of the staff that walked directly past him.

The familiar sight of his wooden desk stacked with documents and files made him happier than he thought it would. Being away from the office had taken more out of him than he realised, which was saying a lot given how many hours a week he usually spent there. _Though I didn’t take this break of my own accord, which might have contributed to it feeling better. Perhaps after this is all over, I can finally take a proper rest._

“Wow, now there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while!” Jou grinned from behind his desk.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Atem ducked his head, sitting down in his office chair.

“Aw it’s all right, you were having your midlife love crisis,” Jou waved dismissively, and Atem made a surprised sound.

“I’m not that old! In fact, you’re older than me!” he protested.

“Yeah and we’re not gunna talk about how many midlife disasters _I’ve_ had!”

“With your dating history I wouldn’t be surprised,” Atem quipped a smirk, to which Jou looked offended.

“Hey man! Low blow! Have some respect for your elders!”

“Of course, my bad, old man,” Atem chuckled.

Jou grumbled something under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“So anyway,” Atem made the tactical decision to change the topic. “What have I missed?”

“Ah, would love to tell you man but I gotta head out now. Sorry to disappear right when you’re back in the fray, but I’ve got a bud to meet up with.”

“Well don’t let me stop you,” Atem waved him off. Jou walked out of the room, and Atem turned his attention back to his desk. He could get his answers himself from reading the update logs.

He booted up the desktop, beginning to run through all of his unread e-mails. From what Jou had sent him, he gathered the case hadn’t moved past where Atem had left it off. Jou had filed all of the reports on Pegasus’ death, adding the information to their current system of cases on the one-hit man.

When he was done, all his e-mails and catch up reports finished, he could focus on doing what he came in for; his end of the deal with Yugi. Yugi hadn’t yet told him what he was supposed to do, and Atem doubted Yugi even had a plan at _all_ , but anything was better than what they had right now.

He decided to start with a few quick searches on Bakura, looking for a way to identify him. Since they didn’t have a way to put a face to the name, they wouldn’t be able to check footage anywhere for his location. He hoped Yugi would be able to dig up something else from his client, but he wasn’t going to put too much faith in that. Instead, he pulled up all of his resources to type Bakura’s name into all the search systems.

Not much showed up, though he expected as much. First name Ryuji, last name Bakura. _Rather bold for a criminal to slap their surname on their shady business_ , Atem thought. _If all Yugi knew about the guy was his last name, he could have easily looked up information on him. Especially if he was wealthy, in the media frequently. But someone like that, they wouldn’t hire a hitman… would they?_

There was a small section on his antique dealing history, but it was rather miniscule. Not like the picture Yugi had painted. _So he does most of it under the law,_ Atem assumed. Everything Atem could see had proper licences and had gone through all the correct postal routes. _So no dirt, then. He’s clean in the eyes of the police._

With nothing else available to him, he wrote up a formal request for the record department, asking for more details on one Ryuji Bakura. He sent it off, slumping back on his chair for a moment’s repose.

Flicking his phone on for a moment, the time flashed back at him as noon. He was due to meet Yugi around now at the café.

Jou had yet to return, but he figured he could get away with ducking out for his lunch break without having to announce it; Jou was probably out having lunch himself.

Atem decided to go ahead and leave the office, heading out to the streets. He walked the small journey to the café, feeling his eagerness rise at the chance to meet with Yugi again.

Despite everything that had happened, he still experienced jolts of butterflies when thinking about seeing Yugi’s face. Those moments at Kaiba’s party had been… like nothing Atem had ever felt before.

He felt like a teenager around their first crush, and had to force himself to squash down the electricity racing inside him.

 _Focus on the task at hand, Atem,_ he chastised himself. _You and Yugi can sort out your relationship, whatever that is, later._

The café soon came into sight, and as he approached, he noticed the unmistakable wild mess of purple locks Yugi owned. He opened his mouth to call out, but something besides Yugi stopped him.

He froze, recognising someone standing next to Yugi. It was Jou. And the two of them seemed to be deep in conversation, heads bent low.

Why was Jou talking to Yugi? Did they know each other? Was Jou aware of who Yugi was? And was there something more sinister he didn’t know about? How did two of the most different people he knew… know each other outside his life?

Just as Atem was about to slip away, Yugi glanced over at him, and his eyes widened. Atem could very clearly see the way his lips formed a swear word, which prompted Jou to look around for the commotion. He spotted Atem, and waved him over. After hesitating for a moment, Atem walked up to them.  

“Uh… hello Jou, Yugi,” Atem mumbled.

“Atem, buddy! What a surprise!” Jou exchanged a quick look with Yugi, smiling awkwardly.

“It’s all right, Jou. He’s in on it now,” Yugi replied. Jou’s expression only seemed to get worse, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Atem!? No way. You’re part of this!?”

“Not by choice, really,” Atem replied smoothly. “But I’m more interested in how you two seem to know each other.”

“Ah, yeah well…” Jou scratched at his chin, giving a half-hearted laugh. “You see…”

“Jou and I have been friends for a long time,” Yugi interjected. “Since high school.”

“And he… knows?” Atem asked.

“He does.”

“Oh…” Atem did his best to not sound disappointed, but from the way Yugi looked away guiltily, he figured it wasn’t working. “Well, I guess I’ve been out of the loop, then.”

“Jou…” Yugi pausing, thinking over his words with a hum. “Jou helps me out around… law stuff.”

“I see,” Atem said, keeping his voice even. “Well, I suppose given everything that’s happened recently, this shouldn’t be surprising at all.”

“Mmm…” Yugi frowned at him before turned to address Jou. “Jou, Atem and I need to discuss details. Would you mind giving us a bit of privacy?”

“Oh, of course, sorry,” Jou bowed slightly, edging away. “I’ll leave you two to it then. See you back at HQ, Atem.”

“Yeah, see you.” Atem muttered in reply. Jou scurried off, and without his presence the tension in the air seemed to rise, everything suddenly seemingly more serious.

“Sorry,” Yugi said, sighing. “I wanted to tell you, I knew you were friends, but… well, I have to confirm some things first. And make sure Jou knows not to get more involved.”

“It’s all right, I’m not mad.”

“Are you sure?” Yugi frowned. “Because you seem like you’re trying _very_ hard not to yell at me right now.”

“I- do I?” Atem blinked. Glancing down, he noticed his hands were clenched into fists, and his lips were drawn tight. “Oh…” He loosened his posture, letting his palms uncurl and his shoulders slacken.

“I mean, I would deserve it,” Yugi continued. “On top of everything I’ve done, it’s got to be kind of shitty to throw this in too.”

“A little, I guess,” Atem admitted, then lowered his voice. “It’s more worrying that someone of your… _profession_ , has such easy access to police documents.”

“I assure you, Jou does nothing to incriminate anyone else,” Yugi said. “Sometimes he glances over some records that hold my name in locations, but I never drag anyone else down. And if anything happened to Jou, I would make an excuse to bail him out and put his charges on me instead.”

“Why?”

“He’s my friend,” Yugi shrugged. “And he does a lot of me. Loyalty like that… you don’t just stomp it out to save yourself. I know what I do is wrong and immoral, and eventually, it’ll catch up with me.”

“Then why did you choose this?”

“That…” Yugi smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “Is a story for another day, perhaps. It’s not important, anyway.”

“Would you ever give it up?”

Yugi’s eyes flickered up to Atem’s. He was silent for a moment, his gaze searching for something.

“I might, with the right reason,” he whispered, before breaking out into a genuine smile. “Now, any more questions for the street, or should we actually head in now?” He gestured behind himself to the door.

“Oh, yeah… Sorry, just got so into it…”

Yugi continued to smile, letting Atem enter first. Atem started to walk towards the register, turning to Yugi as he strode up beside him. “I could order you something if you wanted to go grab us a booth?”

Yugi chuckled. “Buying me a drink and we’re not even on a date? Whatever am I to think, dear Atem?”

“I’m being polite,” Atem protested.

“Mmm,” Yugi tapped his foot, staring up at the café’s menu. “I suppose I’ll take you up on it then. Can’t say no to free drinks.”

“What would you like?”

“Just a cappuccino,” Yugi winked before walking off.

Atem turned back to the counter, ordering their drinks. He took an order number, searching around the café for where Yugi had gone to.

He was lounging in one of the booths against the window, near where they were last time. He glanced up as Atem walked over, offering a small smile.

Atem sat down on the opposite seat, leaning over the table.

“So, how are you doing?” Yugi asked.

“Everything is happening so fast, it’s hard to stop and think about it all.” Atem sighed.

“Well hopefully we can end this soon, and then you can go back to your everyday life as a cop.”

“I’m a detective, but I suppose “a cop” counts,” Atem replied. “I’m not sure things will ever be normal after this, though.”

“What would count as normal for a detective, though?” Yugi hummed. “Dealing with dead bodies all the time, arresting people who commit murder… if that’s your average day, then this can’t be very different.”

Atem chuckled, leaning his head on his hand. “I suppose you’re right.”

Their drinks arrived, and Yugi busied himself with pouring sugar into his. Atem took his plain, sipping from the rim of the cup while he watched Yugi stir.

“All right,” Atem said, lowering his drink. “So… I don’t have much, but I did find some records on Bakura.”

“Oh?” Yugi blinked, looking surprised. “Well, I wasn’t expecting anything, but please, go on.”

Atem shuffled closer, leaning over the table and lowering his voice. “Everything he’s done, he’s done legally. I couldn’t find any proof of misconduct, or shady side businesses being found out.”

“So you looked him up already?” Yugi cocked an eyebrow, looking impressed. “You don’t waste time.”

“Given the situation, I figured starting sooner than later would be in our best interest,” Atem replied. “But we’re still at stage one, with no way forward. Unless you found something?”

“Yup. I’m going to give the eye to Bakura,” Yugi said, leaning back in his booth.

“What? You’re serious?” Atem felt his eyes widen, and he resisted the urge to open his hands in an obvious questioning way. “I thought that was the exact thing we-”

“Hold on, let me finish,” Yugi interrupted. “Bakura will want to check I’ve got the real thing; he’ll be able to tell if it’s fake I’m sure, given his reputation. On top of this, despite the secrecy my job entails, he has a certain need to stick his name and face into everything, so I have a good hunch he’ll show up himself to a meeting, instead of sending someone else. So, if it all goes well, we’ll be able to lure Bakura out.”

“And then we can have an ambush waiting,” Atem nodded, catching on. “Jou and I could set up wherever the meeting location is and hold down until you both arrive.”

“Bingo,” Yugi winked.

“It could work… but we would have to do it under the radar. Too many people involved and word might get out, or Bakura could spot us. It’s too risky.”

“So just you and Jou, and myself,” Yugi nodded, leisurely sipping from his cup.

“It would be easier for all of us to work in a small, tight-knit group.”

“Mmm.” Yugi’s cup clinked softly as he placed it on the table. It was empty. “Are you sure you’re all right with this?” he asked. His tone seemed to drop, eyebrows and mouth twitching downwards.

“What choice do we have?” Atem shrugged. “We’re backed into a corner, and this is the only way out, right?”

Yugi nodded, face grim. “Sadly, that’s the way it seems…”

“So, what’s the plan of action, then?”

“I’ll arrange for someone to alert Bakura, get back in touch with him somehow to determine our meeting spot. While I’m doing that, it’ll be best for you to stay off the streets. Try and stay inconspicuous. Get Jou to bring you food back and stay in the office, only leave at night.”

“That might seem suspicious to my workmates, though,” Atem argued.

“Just say you’re close to cracking the case, something that will explain your devotion. Jou said you’re always in early anyway, it’ll hardly make a difference.”

“Has Jou just told you everything about my life?” Atem sighed.

“Well, after what happened at the party, and I got the order to off you, I figured I should set my mind straight on my decision.”

“Do I want to know how hard or easy it was to make that decision?” Atem grimaced.

“It was hard,” Yugi admitted. “Hardest job I’ve ever had. Can’t say before you I’ve ever been told to kill someone I’d just fucked.”

Atem sighed deeply through his nose, slapping a hand to his forehead.

“What?” Yugi pursed his lips. “It was hard! Isn’t that what you’d want to hear!? I was conflicted! That never happens okay! I have a rep for a reason!”

“I just… n-nevermind. What does this have to do with Jou telling you everything about me?”

“Oh, well I went to Jou afterwards and got him to tell me what he knew about you. What kind of person you were at work, and as a friend. We had a long chat, and it helped me reach my decision. Which worked out well for us.”

“But you looked like you really were there to kill me that first night. Were you just fucking with me?” Atem frowned.

“Yeah I went… after that…” Yugi chuckled nervously. “I didn’t think I would do it, but I… it was very conflicting okay! I’m sorry and look, it all worked out thanks to your smart smooth talking, so there!”

“In all my years as a detective,” Atem shook his head, snorting. “Can’t say I’ve ever had anything like this happen.”

“That just makes me extra unique then, right?” Yugi grinned, and it was the same look he gave Atem that night at the party, with the bright lights dancing off his stylish outfit. Atem blinked, seeing the ghost of that vest and tie, the deepest shade of purple Atem had ever witnessed.

“Atem? You all right?” Yugi frowned.

“Y-Yeah, sorry, just… zoned out there for a moment,” Atem muttered, taking off his glasses and rubbing at his eyes.

“Maybe you should go home and sleep,” Yugi suggested.

“No I’m fine, I’ll be all right. Promise.”

Yugi eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t pursue it. “Okay. But I’ll have Jou text me if he thinks you’re sleeping at your desk.”

“Deal,” Atem smiled.

“Good. Then I better be off and sort this out as fast as I can.” Yugi shuffled out of his booth, standing and readjusting his jacket.

“How will I know when you’re ready to move?” Atem asked, standing up beside Yugi.

“I’ll text you,” Yugi replied, looping some stray bangs behind his ears.

“You have the same number?”

“Yeah… sorry for not picking up all those times you rang,” Yugi smiled awkwardly.

“It’s all right, I understand.”

Yugi sighed, his smile dropping instantly. “You’re too kind-hearted for this. I wish I hadn’t…”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Atem said, reaching out for Yugi’s arm, grasping his palm. “Otherwise… I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet you, and get to know you.”

“Despite everything that has happened? You’d still want… this?” Yugi’s gaze turned to his, searching.

“I would,” Atem said, and he knew he meant it, conviction thick in his tone.

Yugi’s eyes glanced away, his lashes fluttering closed. He said nothing, but the small smile creeping up his face was enough for Atem.

They left the booth behind and headed outside. Yugi lingered at the storefront, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Atem mimicked the action, the air too cold to consider leaving them out.

“Well… I’ll see you later, Atem,” Yugi said. He paused, then, “And… thank you.”

“Anytime,” Atem whispered. He watched Yugi walk away, until his hair disappeared behind a wall.

Turning in the other direction, Atem started to walk back to the office.

 


	9. Chapter 9

A few days later, Jou came up to Atem at the office.

“Hey Atem, update on the situation,” he said, propping himself up on the edge of Atem’s desk, leaning close.

“Oh?” Atem glanced up, pausing his actions. He had finally gotten clearance from the record department to expand his search on Bakura, and he had been going over all the files thoroughly, searching for any evidence he could use again the man.

“Yugi’s gunna meet with us tonight, over at my house. Come with me after work and I’ll give you a lift.”

“All right,” Atem nodded, and Jou walked off. He turned back to his desktop, scrolling through the window he had open currently.

If he could prove that Bakura was linked to Pegasus’ death, he would be able to argue his case better against the higher ups. He was a detective, after all, and he was allowed a certain amount of leeway with his cases.

Especially if he could pin the one-hitman case on Bakura. But he had to do it in a way that wouldn’t incriminate Yugi, and open up the can of worms his job created.

Atem had barely noticed the passage of time, until Jou was walking up to him again with his bag in hand.

“Hey, you ready to go?” he asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Oh, yes. I’ve been here for god knows how long, I should probably stop anyway,” Atem said, a yawn passing over him as if to further his point.

“All right then, let’s head out,” Jou sauntered off. Atem quickly threw together his supplies, hauling a shoulder bag over his arm and following Jou out.

Jou’s car was parked a few blocks away, and his apartment was a good thirty minutes away from that. They drove in silence mostly, Jou concentrating on the road while Atem stared out the window, only half seeing the cityscape go by.

By the time Jou had pulled into his parking space, night had blanketed the sky.

“Guess we should have stopped for some food,” Jou chuckled.

“I am a little hungry,” Atem admitted.

“I’ve probably got something in the fridge,” Jou said, walking over to the entryway.

Jou swung the door open and walked inside. Atem followed, glancing around the room somewhat nervously. For some reason, he had expected Yugi to be reclining on the couch, positioned to watch them enter. But the living room was empty, and as Jou went around switching lights on, Atem found Yugi was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s not here,” Atem commented.

“He’ll be around,” Jou replied. “He’s probably out there somewhere watching us, waiting until we arrived first.”

“That’s… does he do that often?” Atem frowned. He couldn’t imagine having a friend who would watch him from the shadows. Did Yugi not like to enter at the same time as them? But then, he had gone to the café with Atem, and they both had walked in together. _Maybe he’s just playing it extra safe,_ Atem reasoned. _Maybe he’s worried Bakura might be spying on us, and he’s just being cautious._

“Usually, yeah. Can’t remember the last time he used the door,” Jou snorted.

“But why?”

“It’s just one of those things Yugi does,” Jou shrugged, offering Atem a smile. “You get used to it. He’s a bit odd, but he’s good.”

“He’s a hitman; he kills people,” Atem said rather bluntly.

“That’s true,” Jou acquiesced with a dip of his head. “But he’s not all that bad. I mean sure, I’d really like him to straighten out and stop chasing cheap thrills, especially when I have to stick my ass out on the line for him so much. But then he gives you that smile and thanks you so sincerely and augh… sometimes I wish I could punch him, but he’s just too darn good I can never bring myself to do it.”

“And you’re okay with it?” Atem asked.

“With him murdering people? No, of course not, Atem. I want him to stop, but if I outed him, then they’d probably be able to trace records back to me. I try to be thorough when I move shit around for Yugi, but I’m not _perfect_. Besides, Yugi’s my best bud, and I want him to stop but I don’t want him to get killed or jailed for life over it.”

“But why does he do this? What does he gain from all this murder?”

“I ask him that almost every day, and I still don’t get an answer,” Jou sighed. “I’ve pretty much given up asking at this point and have resigned myself to never know.”

“Yugi…” Atem paused, searching for the right words. He could tell Jou was listening, waiting for what he had to say.

“Yugi,” he began again. “From all the encounters I’ve had with him, he’s been such a wonderful person. I’ve never really… enjoyed company, like I have with him. But knowing everything I do now, I just. I struggle to find the balance between the two, when it feels like it shouldn’t exist.”

“Then I’d say it’s up to you to decide, then,” Jou said. “Maybe you can succeed where I couldn’t.”

And with that, Jou walked off into the kitchen, and Atem heard the sound of the fridge door snapping open. Atem decided to wait around in the living room.

Soon enough, Jou’s words were proven true. The window began to rattle, as if in a storm, despite the cold, dry weather outside. It slowly slid open, the levers barely sighing. Yugi’s face appeared from the darkness, and he climbed over the sill to drop to the carpet below. He blended into the shadows well, Atem noted, with a sleek black jacket wrapped over a shiny leather vest. It reminded Atem somewhat of the outfit Yugi had worn to the party, and a lump formed in his throat, which he promptly squashed down.

This was no time for regrets.

Yugi’s eyes darted around while he lowered the window, locking with Atem’s for a moment before glancing to Jou, who had returned to the living room.

“Hey,” Atem said, somewhat lamely.

“Hey,” Yugi replied, sounding equally awkward and unprepared. “Hey Jou.”

“Yo Yugi, gunna make some coffee if you’re down for some?”

“Sure, I don’t have plans to sleep tonight anyway,” Yugi nodded, striding over to the kitchen where Jou was disappearing back to.

Atem lingered in the lounge room for a moment longer, until Yugi was looking at him from the kitchen table, seated against the wall.

He didn’t want to stand around and look like a stranger, so he walked up to the opposite side of the table and sat down across from Yugi.

The air between them seemed to linger with unsaid words, words they couldn’t get past their tongues. Atem tried to speak, say more, but he could only manage a weak question.

“How have you been?”

“Fine,” Yugi replied. “Well, as fine as I can be wading through these dangerous waters.” He chuckled, a small smile spreading over face.

And just like that, the air thinned, and Atem found his thoughts again. “Isn’t that just another day in the exciting life of Yugi Mutou?”

Yugi blinked, his brows shooting up. “Uh… well, I suppose,” he quickly turned away, a hand over his cheek.

“It sounds like every day is an adventure to you.”

Yugi gave a soft chuckle. “Oh yes, especially the days at the game shop. Those half price booster sales are deadly.”

Atem sensed an opportunity in the flow of the conversation, and as loathed as he was to give up the friendly atmosphere that had fallen over them, he had to ask.

“Forgive me for asking,” he started. “But… why don’t you just work the game shop full time? Instead of... you know.”

“You and Jou have been talking I see,” Yugi grunted, but he didn’t look upset. He looked resigned. “I know what you’re thinking, I probably should do that.”

“’Probably’ is a bit of an understatement, Yugi.” Atem said gently.

“I know, and I know you don’t approve of my… um, career choice. I understand, it’s a lot to think about too. I don’t blame you for thinking less of me for it.”

“I don’t… no, you’re misinterpreting what I’m saying. Being a hitman isn’t a good thing. You’re not murdering corrupt people like some vigilante, you’re killing whoever you’re told to. That means innocents too, Yugi.”

“There’s definitely truth in what you say, I won’t deny it nor try to defend myself,” Yugi smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Considering what this case especially has brought around... I suppose Jou’s finally getting to me about these ‘cheap thrills’, as he calls it.”

“Murder isn’t something to take lightly, Yugi,” Atem chided.

“I know… I’m sorry. Really I should have dropped the connection with you the moment I found out you were a cop. But it’s not your fault at all. Don’t think I blame you, because I don’t. I just… I shouldn’t have kept pursuing you like some idiot, ignoring the warning signs.”

“And what were those?” Atem asked, not liking where this was going.

“That I would hurt you eventually,” Yugi sighed, and he seemed to shrink further into himself.

“Oh…” Atem blinked. He hadn’t expected Yugi to say that. If anything, he had thought Yugi _would_ blame him for something, and in a way, Atem couldn’t fault him for that. They were both to blame. They both made mistakes.

“But enough about me, really. Please. How about you? You doing okay?” Yugi asked. There was genuine concern on his face, like he had expected Atem to be falling apart over this all. Atem straightened his posture, allowing the topic to shift and offering a smile. He would stop pursuing it. For now.

“I’m fine, you don’t need to constantly check up on me,” he said.

“I don’t-” Yugi paused, fiddling with the edge of his jacket. “I’m not really… I just wanted to know if you were okay, since we’re about to get into the thick of things.”

The awkwardness of the action made Atem’s smile widen. It was _this_ side of Yugi he had loved seeing, that he wanted to see more of. _If only he didn’t kill people for a living, we could have been so much more…_ “I appreciate the concern, but I _am_ a cop. I’m not all looks and no skill. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will, I believe you,” Yugi nodded, his fingers intertwining his hands in front of him while he leaned back.

“N’aww, you guys are so cute together, no wonder you’re a couple.” Jou chuckled, leaning against the wall dividing the kitchen and dining table.

“We’re not dating,” Atem blurted out.

“Oh… sorry… I mean I thought you were… Uh…” Jou said, awkwardness thick in his voice. Atem acknowledged him with a nod, but he didn’t miss the way Yugi looked away from them both, eyes on the table.

And just like that the moment was gone.

“No, we’re just sorting this mess out to clean Atem from it all, and then I’ll leave,” Yugi said.

“Wait, you mean the whole city?” Jou blinked. “Yugi, you’re not leaving Domino are ya?”

“I’ll probably have to,” Yugi shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, you know I have to move from time to time.”

“It wouldn’t be safe for you here after this, would it?” Atem asked.

Yugi nodded, his eyes still on the table.

 _It would probably be for the best,_ Atem thought. He didn’t voice it, however; it felt too harsh to say. Yugi had said it wasn’t a big deal, but Atem had the feeling he was trying to downplay it for Jou’s sake. They seemed to have a deep friendship, one older than what Atem had with Jou.

Regardless, Atem felt a little out of sort, like a third wheel. Things felt incredibly awkward between him and Yugi, and while it was nice to have Jou around to get them to focus, Atem could tell he felt uneasy being around the tension they exuded.

“Now, we should get on to the task at hand,” Yugi said. “We have more important things to worry about than where I’ll go after this.”

It was obvious he was dodging Jou’s questions, Atem could tell, but there was little they could do about it; Yugi was right, after all. They _did_ need to focus on their situation.

“You got news for us?” Jou asked, coming to sit down next to Atem, placing a mug in front of himself and Yugi.

“Yeah,” Yugi nodded, pulling out a tablet. He tinkered away on it while Atem and Jou waited around the table.

“I got in contact with Bakura,” Yugi spoke while he worked. “We agreed on a place, three days from now.”

“Where?” Jou asked.

“That’s what I’m showing you now. This is the street view of the location we’ll be making the deal in.” Yugi turned the tablet around, sliding it closer to them.

It was an alley way, banking off a minor street. Bins and trails of rubbish lined the corners, with the brick work chipped in sections. The quality of Yugi’s tablet wasn’t as crisp as it probably could be, but Atem assumed the blur at the edges was from the photo.

“Okay, our window of opportunity is very small, so you’ll both need to be watching.” Yugi explained, tapping the screen. He dragged his finger along the top, moving the image.

“Where are we hiding?” Jou asked. Yugi paused his action, lifting his digit enough to point but not disturb the screen.

“There are likely to still be these dumpsters nearby, but they’re too obvious. I would assume Bakura would know better than to stroll too close to one without checking the area first. We want to get there before him, though, so he doesn’t have time to set any kind of trap.”

“You think he suspects you?” Atem asked.

“He might,” Yugi shrugged. “I _have_ taken longer than normal to deliver my part of the contract, and it’s not what I’m known for. I think he’ll be suspicious at least.”

“All right. Hey I’m just gunna head off to the loo real quick, be back in a sec.” Jou said, hurrying out of the room.

Yugi sighed, sliding down in his chair until his head was resting over his arms. He looked exhausted, and his earlier comment about not sleeping tonight made Atem worried.

“Are we prepared, do you think?” Atem asked in a hushed voice. “Give me your honest opinion.”

“Honestly? Probably not,” Yugi sighed. “But we’re backed against a wall here, and we don’t have much room to move. Either we expose Bakura, or he takes us all out.”

“You mean… die?” Atem asked. Yugi nodded grimly, his lips set in a thin line. Atem swallowed back his nerves. He was a cop, he should be used to this. He saw murder all the time. But mostly it was bodies; they were already dead by the time he reached them, and he never went after the murders. Just pointed the task force in the right direction.

“Whatever happens, I won’t let him hurt you,” Yugi said, giving Atem a determined nod.

“How can you promise that?” Atem frowned. “You have no way of knowing what Bakura might pull. We’re all in danger here.”

“I did wrong by you before, and I hurt you,” Yugi’s eyes flickered away, his gaze turning mournful. “I’m sorry. The best I can do is try to sort out this mess and get you out of it. I owe you that much.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you, Yugi.” Atem admitted.

“That’s…” Yugi bowed his head, shutting his body off to the side. “Understandable.”

“But I don’t blame you for all this.”

Yugi’s eyes widened. “You… don’t? Why not?”

“It’s not like you knew this Bakura guy would go so far for this artefact. And despite how he hired you to kill me… you didn’t. You’re risking a lot, I know.”

“We all are; Jou too.”

“I guess we’re lucky then, to have such a reliable friend.”

Yugi snorted. “There’s no one better than Jou, honestly.”

“I’d have to agree,” Atem laughed. It felt good, to be joking like this. Yugi seemed at ease too, which was saying a lot given how tense he had been all throughout their talk.

And while it was good, he knew it wouldn’t last. So while he hated to be bringing the light hearted atmosphere down once again, but while he had Yugi physically in front of him, he needed to get through his thoughts.

“Listen, about us… I need some time, to think about this; about us. When it’s over… will you give me that?” Atem asked.

“Yes,” Yugi promised. “As long as you need.”

“Thank you.”

Yugi dipped his head. “For what it’s worth, Atem… I never wanted to drag you into any of this.”

“I know,” Atem chuckled. “And I do appreciate you not blowing my head off.”

Yugi’s face flushed, and he turned away, embarrassed. “Uh… yeah… sorry again, you know…”

Atem nodded.

“Well…” Yugi said, pressing a hand to his face. “I guess I should go get prepared for this ‘date’ with Bakura,” he snorted, rising from his chair.

“Cheating on me already?” Atem said, before he could stop himself.

Yugi’s eyes widened and he looked confused. “Er, sorry,” Atem grunted. “I didn’t mean to… it just sort of… came naturally…”

“It’s all right,” Yugi said quietly. “I understand. Things kind of did happen like that… Anyway, I better go. I’ll see you at the meet up point.”

“Okay, be safe,” Atem said, standing up to follow Yugi into the lounge room.

“You too,” Yugi whispered, moving back over to the window. Atem watched him open and climb out of it before lowering it and disappearing outside.

“He just never uses the door,” Jou grumbled, reappearing and walking up beside Atem, coffee cup in hand.

“He did at my place. One of the times,” Atem chuckled.

“Consider yourself lucky, then,” Jou grunted, sipping from his mug. “He never does with me.”

 _Maybe I am lucky… maybe something will come from this yet. Something good._ Atem was determined to try his best, and find the best result for everyone.

Even Yugi.

“Anyways,” Jou said through a yawn. “I’m gunna rummage in that fridge for something, I think I saw some pies before, you in for that?”

“Sure thing. I could eat just about anything right now.”

“’Aight, I’ll get on that,” Jou meandered off back into the kitchen, leaving Atem in the living room.

He moved to the window, leaning against the sill. He couldn’t see much aside from a few dimly lit street lights, and the occasional headlights from a car passing by. The glass panel was frosty along the edges, and each time he breathed against it the middle would fog up in a circle.

He stared off into the night, waiting for Jou to cook their meal and pondering just how their staged meeting would go.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny but this fic is almost a year old now, since Ree's birthday is this month and this time last year is when I wrote this lmao. Will post the epilogue very soon after this, since big bang is starting to be posted and I wanna get this done and dusted before I have to start posting my fic for that lmao. Pls enjoy~

This was it. The night they would make the deal. Everything would be hinging on this one moment, that everything would run smoothly and they could catch Bakura without being caught themselves. Or worse.

Yugi had already gone on ahead to the drop point. Atem and Jou were to take position on the rooftop afterwards. Except that afterwards was now…

Atem huffed, fiddling with his jacket collar. Was he ready for this?

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out, glancing at the screen. It was a message from Yugi.

 _You ready?_ Yugi’s text read. Almost as if he had been reading Atem’s thoughts at that very moment.

Atem stared down at it, debating how he should answer. _Should_ he even answer? _He took the time to ask…_ Atem mentally slapped himself. He shouldn’t be considering giving Yugi the cold shoulder when Yugi had initiated.

He punched in a quick message. _As much as I can be,_ Atem sent back. _That’ll do._ He pocketed his phone as the headlights from Jou’s car signalled his arrival.

Jou rolled to a stop right in front of the curb. The window moved down, clearly showing Jou’s face.

“You ready to go, buddy?”

“Yeah, hopefully,” Atem sighed. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

“That’s true,” Jou smiled sheepishly.

Atem climbed in and they pulled away. The streets slowly drifted by, neon lights burning through the darkness in blurred shapes.

Atem noticed as they passed through the neighbourhoods they were heading further away from the quaint suburbs and more into huge apartment complexes lining the streets. The roads became thinner, with more compact streets, and the buildings grew taller. Things were busier here, with more cars and people around. _Yugi probably picked this location to keep Bakura from causing trouble,_ Atem thought. _With so many people in the area, he’s sure to think twice before attacking us._

Jou eventually slowed down, pulling over to the side of the road. “This is the place,” he said, cutting the engine.

“We’re taking the rooftop with the outside stairs, right?” Atem asked. He opened the passenger door to stick his head out, gazing upwards.

They were parked in the entrance to an alleyway, but it didn’t look the same as the pictures Yugi had shown them. On top of that, Atem couldn’t see Yugi anywhere, and he was supposed to be there already.

“Where is this roof? I don’t see the alley,” Atem pointed out.

He heard Jou mumble something in agreement from inside the car.

“I parked away from the drop point,” Jou explained, climbing out to join Atem. “So if Bakura is nearby, he won’t see us and realise he’s been set up.”

 _Of course,_ Atem mentally kicked himself. _It would be too obvious if we did anything else._

While Atem had been beating himself up, Jou had walked over to a doorway at the end of the alleyway. He opened the door while Atem trotted over, peering in beside Jou. It was a staircase, zigzagging up and downwards in the building.

“We’ll climb up here,” Jou gestured to the stairwell. “And hit up the roof access on this part of the building. Then, we can climb over to the vantage point Yugi gave us, which should be on the same level.”

“Okay,” Atem nodded. They stepped inside the building and ascended the staircase.

Once on the roof, they made their way to the far side. There was an outside staircase attached to the building there, and peering down over the edge, Atem could see the layout of the drop point alleyway below. It was a long stretch of concrete with streets at both ends, leaving it with an open plan. But the dumpsters and side doors helped to make it feel somewhat more crowded, despite still being so exposed.

They perched on top of the roof access, bodies crouched down to avoid being spotted from the ground. Below them was another ledge jutting out, holding air-conditioner units, and far down below in the alley, Yugi, standing between the dumpsters. _He’s here,_ Atem thought, unable to keep the surprise off his face, despite how no one would see it, least of all Yugi. _I was… worried he wouldn’t show, or that Bakura would find us and run everything._

Yugi glanced upwards, towards where Atem and Jou were hiding. Atem saw him nod before turning away, focusing back on the alley. So he knew they were there. Now, they just had to wait.

As it stood, it wasn’t long before company joined them.

“Someone’s coming,” Jou whispered.

A man walked slowly forward, the shadows of the alley moulding over his face. He wore dark shades, and the black trench coat draped over his body only served to disguise his form further.

There was one feature the man seemed unable to hide; silky white hair that shone bright under the lowlight, despite his obvious attempts to dampen it with his outfit.

Something about him felt familiar, but Atem had never met someone called Bakura before.

Had he…?

He wracked his brain for the answer, chasing the nagging feeling that he _had_ seen that wispy hair before. White hair couldn’t be _that_ comment, after all. He cursed not being able to see the man’s face from their angle, but then the man moved his head, brushing hair out of his face and Atem could see half of it.

And then it hit him. Like it had before. Like _he_ had before at the-

_Wait a minute… Shit, I’ve seen that man before! At the-_

Atem felt his eyes widen, and he gasped. “Oh no.”

“Hey keep it down,” Jou hissed.

“But-”

“So, Yugi,” Bakura continued, hands sliding together over his chest. “Where is my artefact?”

“I have the eye,” Yugi said. He held up a glass container, the eye nestled inside on a bed of velvet.

“So you do,” Bakura replied. “But I’ll be checking it’s the _real_ thing, if you don’t mind.”

“You’re the expert,” Yugi shrugged. He was doing a convincing job looking nonchalant over it, but Atem hoped it would be enough to work on Bakura.

Bakura stepped forward, raising a hand upwards. “The eye.”

Yugi brought the case towards Bakura, planting it in his held up hand before stepping back.

Bakura created more distance between them, glancing at Yugi one last time before turning his attention to the artefact.

He turned it over in his hands, scrutinising it. The case twisted open, revealing the eye. Atem felt his nerves bubble up in his stomach as Bakura examined the eye. Each time Bakura touched it, or brought it to his face Atem expected him to lick it, but much to his relief, Bakura soon lowered the artefact, reclasping the glass case on.

“Mmm, yes…” he said. “This is the real deal. Very good.”

“As I promised,” Yugi said.

“So you did,” Bakura hummed. “But… You haven’t finished the other half of our deal, assassin.”

Yugi frowned, his eyes narrowing. “I have done as you asked.”

“Did you seriously think I’d be stupid enough to fall for your trick?” Bakura scoffed. “Do you know how long I’ve been doing this for?”

“I don’t ask questions of my clients,” Yugi replied coolly, tilting his head upwards.

“Maybe you should have,” Bakura sneered, his lip curling back. He raised a hand, snapping his fingers together.

 _What does that mean?_ Atem dipped his head down, peering over the edge. He felt Jou’s hand push him back, and when he glanced over Jou shook his head at him.

 _But something’s wrong, he knows it’s a trap!_ Atem wanted to argue, but Jou continued to hold him off.

“Not yet,” Jou muttered.

“I know you didn’t kill the detective,” Bakura continued. “And now, you’ll pay for double crossing me, assassin.”

From both sides of the alleyway two burly men appeared. The streetlights behind them cast their faces into darkness, their shadows stretching down the concrete towards where Bakura and Yugi were standing.

 _If he knows it’s a trap from us, then… he has to have a counter trap for us!_ Atem gasped. _Of course, and we’re the ones who walked right into it!_

The thugs paused at the ends of the alley, arms by their sides. Atem inwardly cursed, seeing the gleam of pistols by their sides. _There’s no way Yugi can take on three armed men by himself._

“Now then, I’ll be taking the eye- and your life!” Bakura cackled, snapping his fingers again. The men rushed forward, closing in from both ends of the alley.

“Shit! Let’s go Atem!” Jou vaulted over the edge.

Atem raced after him, jumping down from the rooftop to the support beams below. They pushed off between air conditioner units, hurling to the ground.

Jou immediately charged one of the thugs, throwing an opening punch to the stomach.

Atem turned towards the other, rushing them instead. The man was both taller and bulkier than him, looming over Atem’s tiny form.

They reached for the gun, stopping a few metres in from of Atem. Atem might have been smaller, but he was faster. He closed the distance between them, dropping low to hit with an uppercut.

The man abandoned his aim for the gun, instead bringing up an arm to block Atem’s attack. Atem jumped back before they could swing in response.

The man came at him again, a fist raised straight for his face, too fast for Atem to manage a dodge.

He felt more than saw his glasses shatter, and he quickly squeezed his eyes shut to avoid the shards entering them.

The blow forced him backwards, staggering over the concrete. He furiously swiped over his eyes, swatting the broken frames and remains off his face.

Blood poured down his nose, and he could feel the throbbing pain of the disfigured cartilage. It was probably broken, he realised, fighting back against the tears. He didn’t have enough time to stop and examine it, though, as the thug was still a very real threat in front of him.

He continued to step backwards, hoping to create enough distance he would have the time to open his eyes again. But then, without his glasses his vision would be unclear, and his chance of dodging and landing hits would be tough.

“Jou,” he groaned, hoping his friend was somewhere nearby. He heard footsteps, and swearing, and he braced himself for the next hit.

It never came. Instead, Jou was suddenly by his side, pushing the thug back with heavy grunts. Atem allowed himself a moment to rest, gasping for breath. He tasted metal in his mouth, the metallic scent of blood thick in the air.

Shoes scuffled over the concrete, rough, erratic movements screeching loudly. He heard Jou swear several times, and the unmistakable sound of grunts of pain.

And then-

Silence. The _thud_ of someone hitting the pavement was the last sound. Aside from the way Jou was gasping for breath, Atem couldn’t hear much else.

He wet his fingers in his mouth, dragging the digits over and under his eyes before flicking the excess glass shards away. He risked cracking open an eyelid, and after finding no immediate pain, completely opened his eyes.

Bakura’s thugs were knocked out, both of them sprawled over the ground. Jou stood panting loudly over one, half bent down with his arms still in fists. 

Bakura himself was on the other side of the alley, passed out and slumped down against the wall. He saw Yugi shaking his hands nearby, wiping stains onto his shirt. His eyes found Atem’s, head turning to flash an uneasy smile.

“Well we survived, that’s probably against the odds we had,” Yugi chuckled as he walked over. Atem tried to grunt out a response, but the action caused more harm than good, and sent him into a fit of coughs.

“No need to thank me, really,” Yugi snorted, but then paused. His eyes narrowed, peering closer at Atem before they widened in realisation.

“Shit Atem, are you okay!?” Yugi gasped, seeing Atem’s bleeding face. “Oh fuck, shit, quick we need to get you to the hospital!”

“Yugi, I’m fine,” Atem managed a half smile, although the effort made him spit out some blood.

“Bullshit,” Yugi scoffed. “You’re a poor liar, Atem.”

“Y-Yeah, I probably am…”

“Then stop talking and let me get you to the hospital,” Yugi grunted. His arms slipped around Atem’s shoulders, and he began to tug Atem upwards.

“Okay…” Atem murmured, feeling his eyes slide shut.

“Hey, stay with me now,” Yugi said, shaking Atem ever so lightly.

“Mmm ‘wake,” Atem slurred, feeling like he wanted nothing more than to sleep right then and there. But he knew Yugi was right, and so he struggled to keep his conscious above the rising inky darkness threatening to pull him under.

His body swung in time with Yugi’s steps, which were hurried and uneven. The constant tossing around made him wince, but Yugi didn’t pause.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s rough,” he apologised constantly. Atem just grit his teeth, grunting out his consent as best he could.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay awake.

As Yugi held him, he felt the constant drip of some liquid onto his face. It made him flinch each time, the movement uneven and unpredictable. He managed to crack open one eye, glancing upwards to Yugi’s face. He saw blurred blood running down Yugi’s cheek from a slice over the bone. It was gathering at his chin and trickling down to Atem’s face below. The cut looked deep, and Yugi’s face was twisted in obvious pain.

He tried to mention it to Yugi, to ask if he was okay, but the words never formed. His mind was swimming, and he was becoming numb to everything around, even Yugi’s warm hands. _Sorry, Yugi,_ he thought, his eye sliding shut. _I don’t think I can…_

“Atem? Atem! Hey, don’t go under!”

_Just a quick nap…_

Yugi, what’s wrong-”

“Jou! Thank god, call an ambulance Atem is-”

And then he heard no more.


	11. Chapter 11

His consciousness felt like he was floating. He tried to gather his thoughts, to work out what exactly was going on, but it was like swimming through mud. He could barely concentrate, and the urge to slip further into the cocoon of blissful unconsciousness was growing.

But his body was heavy, and there was a warmth over one of his hands. It grounded him, keeping his consciousness awake. What was it? He couldn’t afford to drift back asleep without first working out where he was.

Come on Atem, he forced his body to twitch, moving his eyelids.

He finally forced his eyes open, battling against the fatigue. He was greeted with a mess of visuals, blobs moving in different shapes and sizes. They were all blurry, and no matter how hard he focused, he couldn’t draw them in anymore.

He did recognise them, though, something skin coloured with a stack of what looked like spikey blonde hair. “Jou?” he murmured.

“Oi he’s awake!” Jou’s voice called out.

There was a rough scratch of shoes on flooring, and then, “Finally, I was worried he would never stir,” another voice said. Atem recognised that tone.

“Yugi?” _He’s here too?_ Atem tried to find him, but his vision was still unclear. He felt the heat covering his hand tighten. Glancing down, he found the source to be another hand gripping over his. Yugi’s hand.

“Sorry, is it too tight?” Yugi said. He retreated his hand, unclasping it to rest in his lap instead.

“Is’kay,” Atem muttered. He lifted his hand, patting around to find Yugi’s. He couldn’t quite reach out to the chair Yugi was sitting on, and decided to give up, letting his arm fall back to the bed.

“What happened?” Atem asked, glancing between Jou and Yugi’s blurry forms. “And where are my glasses?”

“Shattered on the ground of the alleyway, I’d say,” Yugi replied. “Sorry, but we didn’t stick around after you fainted.”

“I fainted?” Atem groaned. “That explains why I feel like garbage. And now I can’t see either, great.”

“You have a backup pair at home thought, don’t you?” Jou joined in, appearing at the end of Atem’s bed.

Atem nodded. “Any chance I can persuade you guys to go get them?”

“You’re being released this afternoon, we can bring you home then,” Yugi said.

“I guess I can wait until then,” Atem conceded, slouching back into the pillows.

Jou moved away from the end of the bed, heading towards the exit. “I’m gunna go grab a drink, you want one buddy?”

“I’m good for now,” Yugi replied, smiling up at Jou.

“If you say so,” Jou waved at them, trotting away. He closed the door behind him, leaving Yugi and Atem alone.

Atem turned back to Yugi. “So, did it all work out?”

Yugi nodded. “Bakura’s in custody and Jou said the police would look into finding his safehouses, and anyone linked to his criminal activities.”

“That’s good. Hopefully this will put a few cases in the archives.” _Such a relief,_ Atem sighed, his lips cracking a smile.

“It went better than I thought it would. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you two weren’t there,” Yugi chuckled, smirking. “You two really do make great detectives.”

“Jou’s the best on the force,” Atem agreed. “But mostly he does all the groundwork. If we ever got into fights, Jou rushed them first.”

“So you never fought?”

“I fought,” Atem argued, feeling his face flush.

“Not just a pretty face behind the desk, eh?” Yugi smiled.

“I… er, um…” Atem stuttered.

“Relax Atem, I’m just teasing,” Yugi shot him what looked like a playful look.

“Hard to tell when I can barely see your face,” Atem pointed out. Yugi moved backward, a hand coming up to his face.

“Opps, sorry I forgot.”

“Mmm, it’s all right,” Atem said, his head falling back down to his pillow.

“Jou said he can take us straight home to your place, and we can get you those glasses,” Yugi explained. “So hopefully, you won’t have to worry about that for much longer.”

Atem hummed in response, morphing into a sigh as he sunk further into the bed. Whatever the hospital had been feeding him to dull the pain made his limbs feel like jelly, and they were slow to react to his commands.

“So I’ve…” Yugi started, then paused. His eyes darted off to the side, his gaze unsure. “I’ve come to a decision, about us.”

“About us?” Atem frowned.

“Ah, well… maybe me, I guess.”

“But… didn’t you say you’d give me time? To decide myself?” Atem rubbed a hand over his forehand, humming. “I recall that definitely happening...”

“It did,” Yugi nodded. “And I’m sorry, because I did say I would give you time. But you will have time, and plenty of it without me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to hand myself in,” Yugi said matter-of-factly.

“Just like that? What? You’re serious?” Atem leaned forward, frowning.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” Yugi continued. “And what you’ve said to me. And, well… I’ve done a lot of bad things in the past for lesser reasons. Maybe it’s time the law caught up with me.”

“Why now?”

“Now just… feels like the right time,” Yugi said, shrugging.

 _Somehow I don’t believe he’s fully telling me the truth,_ Atem sighed. “Very vague there, Yugi.”

“Meeting you has taught me a lot, I won’t deny it. But it’s hard to change, and to do so at the flip of a coin. I’m still… me. And there’s a lot about me you don’t know; the same can be said for me with you.”

“But I don’t understand,” Atem muttered, scratching at his head. “You helped us turn in a deadly criminal. You’re… you have good in you, I can tell. Your actions recently have proved so.”

“That doesn’t justify my past actions, and you know it,” Yugi frowned.

“I agree, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to be better now,” Atem argued. “And together, we can.”

“Together?” Yugi questioned.

Atem smiled, offering a hand forward. “Of course. We’ve been through a lot, but you’ve helped out every step of the way. The fact that you’ve come to this conclusion proves to me that you have it in you to do better.”

“Hmm. You make it sound like you have an alternative,” Yugi replied, his gaze wandering down to Atem’s outstretched hand.

“Trust me.”

Yugi smiled, his hand slipping into Atem’s. “I do, Atem. I do.”

* * *

The café had become their usual meeting point for dates. Atem enjoyed being able to escape work for those fleeting moments, as he so often had before. But now, it was more than a lunch break to relax; it was a chance to check up on his boyfriend, and see how he was adjusting.

“-And it’s actually kind of fun learning all the details and rules,” Yugi was chatting excitedly about his job. “Like, I knew the basics before since it’s a _game shop_ and all, but there’s something challenging in the game I’ve never felt before, and it’s _really_ interesting.”

“I’m glad to hear it. So you’re doing well?” Atem asked.

“Yeah I think so!” Yugi smiled, enthusiasm leaking from every pore. “It’s actually not as hard as I thought it would be.”

Atem chuckled, leaning on his hand. “I told you so.”

“You did, I should have listened I know,” Yugi gave a mock roll of his eyes.

“I am a well of wise information,” Atem grinned.

“Mmm sometimes,” Yugi gave him a sly look that suggested he thought otherwise.

“Wow, I’m hurt Yugi,” Atem raised a hand to his chest, grabbing it in mock hurt. “After all I’ve done for you.”

“You’re right, I guess I can’t complain, what with you doing so much to get me through all this.” Yugi snickered.

“I am determined to keep you beside me on the path of justice,” Atem did his best attempt at puffing his chest out and appearing taller.

It had the opposite effect, it seemed, as Yugi’s eyes widened and he burst out laughing. “The path of justice! Ha!”

“It’s not funny,” Atem sulked. “I’m being serious. You’re on parole here mister.”

Yugi spread his hands out, his shoulders still shaking with supressed laughter. “All right, all right… I’ll, phft, work on that, um, justice path.”

“Don’t worry,” Atem quipped a smile. “I’ll be right here to help you, Yugi.”

“Yeah, I guess I can bare it then,” Yugi gave a mock sigh. “Well, on the plus side, you do have a great ass, so-”

Atem spurted. “A what!? Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Yugi gave him a wink, a sly grin spreading over his lips. “You know, I thought your old glasses suited you, but these ones? It is practically impossible for me to contain myself over here.”

“Ahaha… well, we do have tomorrow off, so…” Atem gave a shy smile.

“My dear innocent Atem, are you suggesting something naughty?”

“Hey we’ve fucked before, I’m not that innocent,” Atem protested.

“Yes, but…” Yugi frowned, the cheer slipping off his face. “I mean, after all that shit with Bakura…”

“Hey…” Atem reached forward, grasping one of Yugi’s hands in his own. “It’s all in the past. We’re moving forward together, aren’t we?”

“I guess…”

“And you’re not about to go running off on me, are you?”

That got a smile from Yugi. “No. I promise, I’ll stick around.”

“Good,” Atem nodded, beaming. He squeezed Yugi’s hand. “Let’s move forward together, then.”

Yugi leaned forward, one of his hands leaving Atem’s to rest over Atem’s cheek instead. He gave Atem a quick, hesitant glance, to which Atem smiled and nodded his consent. Yugi then brushed his lips against Atem’s hand, kissing him softly. Atem sighed, feeling content for the first time in a long while.

“Anyway,” Yugi said, pulling back and tilting his head. “Don’t you have to go back to work now?”

“Oh shit!” Atem felt his eyes widen, flinging his hand out and checking his watch. “You’re right!”

He stumbled out of the booth, and Yugi followed, albeit at a slower more relaxed pace.

They stopped just outside the café, where Atem turned to Yugi, offering him a bright smile. “See you later?” he said, asked, eyes searching Yugi’s for an answer.

“Of course,” Yugi hummed, giving Atem a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thats a wrap! Will be back with this year's big bang fic sometime later this month. Thank you to everyone who left support on this fic, I really appreciate it! I was so unsure if it was worth posting, and I'm glad there are such wonderful ppl out there proving me wrong uvu Thank you! <3


End file.
